By Amit Tandon

Resume is your marketing brochure, so work on it extensively. Candidates are sometimes rejected for spelling mistakes also because it shows they are not detail oriented.

Follow the Half Page Rule: – No one reads the complete resume. The most important part of your CV is the first half of the first page because that is what opens on the computer screen.

Think like an Interviewer: For an experienced professional, an interviewer looks for

Relevant experience

Where all have you worked?

How long?

What did you do there?

Education

Professional qualifications

Any Gaps or Anomalies

Step 1:- Insert your Name in a larger font in the Resume Header

Step 2:- Remove all Non-work, Non-Qualification info to the end. This includes family, marital status, contact address etc. Once a manager is interested in your profile, he can find your contact details from the CV.

Step 3: Write an objective summary about your experience. Avoid using qualitative phrases like visionary, excellent, outstanding etc.

Example:

Senior Marketing Professional with 12 years of experience across HLL, Proctor & gamble and ICICI Credit Cards in channel management and direct sales. Currently managing a team 150 marketing and sales professionals across North India.

Vs Top performing Marketing professional with an outstanding track record of12 years across leading FMCG and Financial Services companies. Handling large teams across multiple regions in sales.

Step 4:- I have not met anyone in an interview who is interested in my Aim in life. However, this is a matter of personal choice. In some cases, you can use this to drive your interview. But my personal opinion is “drop it”

Step5:- If you say “I am a good athlete”, people will be skeptical. If you say “I am national record holder for 100 m race”, people will take you seriously.

Use facts and figures to illustrate your skills

Mention key projects or projects that you are most comfortable talking about

Achievements:

Professional Achievements

Academic Achievements (Only High School onwards)

Extraordinary achievements in sports and extra-curricular and that too only High School onwards

Formatting: Ensure consistency of fonts and text alignments.

Hobbies: Only write those Hobbies that are passions or are pursued keenly. Timepass activity is not a hobby. Listening to music is NOT A HOBBY

Family Info:-Avoidable, but if really keen then insert one liner on immediate family i.e. Kids and Spouse.

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Amit Tandon

Amit Tandon is, Managing Director of Empyrean Partners, a leading recruitment firm; Partner at Mind Cafe, first Board Games cafe of India and has been in the Recruitment Business from the past 7 years. Amit has worked with Start-Ups as well as Global organizations across sectors varying from Telecom, Petrochemicals and IT Enabled Services for over 10 years in operations and business development roles. He was AVP – GSK WNS Research in India and was also the Engagement Manager for the Amit is also a well known Humorist & Professional Stand Up Comedian, with over 250 shows between India and Singapore. He is an avid blogger and his views have been quoted a number of times in ET and Singaporean HR Magazines