What are the most important aspects of a resume?

Hi Prithvi,

I've participated in the recruiting process at my Firm on several occasions and I'd suggest that the most impactful thing you can do to have your resume stand out is to tailor it to the specific company and job opportunity.

So often I see resumes that could be for any job and any company.

What stands out to me as a reviewer is a resume that uses the kinds of words we use as a firm in the job description and suggests that the applicant has thought about how their skills and experience fit and make them the best candidate for this specific opportunity (not any opportunity).

Secondly, and this might even be of equal importance to my first comment, describe the impact / results of the various activities in your work experience...don't just list off a string of tasks you completed. How did those tasks help the company? Did you do it faster? Did you do it better? Did you save the company money? Think about answering those types of questions when describing the impact you had through your work.

Hope this helps...good luck to you!

Thanks,

Geoff

Hi Prithvi,

I recommend you tailor your resume for the position you're applying for. Be sure you do your research on the position, and the company as well. You may want to include any honors or recognition you've received, and the qualities match the position you're applying for. You may also wish to include any organizations you belong to.

Think of it as the first impression you're going to make. Put yourself is the shoes of the employer, and highlight the skills required for the position that match the skills you have. Be concise, and focus on what makes you uniquely qualified for the role.

Wishing you all the best!
Julie

I would suggest that if you are feeling light on experience, be sure to include work experience AND volunteer or extra-curricular experience. When I was getting started, I had zero experience outside of retail. I wanted so badly to get out of it, but had a hard time getting my foot in the door. Once I did, I pulled from experience in retail and presented myself as a leader (manager) and team player (working with difficult customers). Try to find real-life examples of when you solved a problem, how you handled it, what went right/wrong, and what you learned from it. If you are passionate about something outside of the field you are applying it, be sure to include it in your 'outside interests' section. Finally, make sure you are not sending a word doc (save as PDF) and triple check for spelling errors.

Hi,

if this is your first job, education should def. come first.

If not, I would then focus on your experience and what you have extra (extra-curriculum activities, for instance). I'm part of the recruitment process both at my current job and my previous one and when I look at these activities I see them as a way to assess if the candidate is pro active or not, which is something that employers are always looking for.

Best,

Joao

Hi,

As a first job, I would point out the education, adding in any other extra curricular activities you performed (eg - sports, debates, charity work, environment related activities, so). If you don't have such experience, do not give up applying and write an application letter that shows how much you can contribute on the job they have posted.

If you already have work experience, build a concise clean resume that points out (briefly) your former work experience (including non-confidential info about important achievements plus your experience in managing teams, as well as cross functional projects). You should make the link between your former experience and the job you are applying for.

A LinkedIn profile is good to have so that recruiters could look up your extended experience, connections and any other info.

Hope it helps!

Lavinia

Hi Prithva,

Great question! First of all, honesty is the best policy. Many companies I work with do a full background check with the resume to guide them.

Having a few resumes established based upon the type of industry/company you are applying to is also a wise decision so you can best build your resume to suit the needs of the role you are looking to fill.

Build your Linkedin.com profile. This should be a place for you to boast your accomplishments at school or part-time jobs. The profile should contain the same dates/historical data but you have the opportunity to expand upon the impact you made.

I hope this helps!

Thanks,

Suzy

A resume should be concise, yet summarise your key experience. But most importantly, it is important to tailor your resume to the job in question. Highlight your key achievements and successes in past role or situations; even if you don't have a lot of experience in the working world yet, select some examples of work you completed at college and how you displayed the relevant competencies and behaviours in doing so. Most importantly, make sure you do a spell check on your resume and ensure there are absolutely no errors!