8 tips for a star studded resume

[#1]

The resume you send to a possible employer about a new job is literally your first line of offense. Understand that your resume is not a summary tool for you to add everything that you have done since you started working.
It is supposed to be custom tailored to each profile you are applying for, highlighting your skills in that role/position.

As an interviewer, I have screened multiple profiles for open positions in my organizations, and there are so many simple things that folks get wrong, so I thought of giving you some pointers.
Here are 8 tips for you to make your resume star studded..

1. Using a 'professional looking' font

We can no stress this enough. You do not have to look cool in your resume. Trust us when we say that your content should be the star of your resume, not its font.
Choose from 'Ariel', 'Times new roman' or even 'Calibri' as your options. Strict no to Comic Sans.

2. Choose your sections wisely

Divide your resume into easily understandable sections. Your resume goes through multiple eyes in its journey for you to get a job, almost all the interviewers are looking or grading you on separate parameters, make it easier for them to find it.
But make sure you do not overdo it.
Recommendations - Work experience, Certifications, Tools expertise, Achievements, Educational background etc.

3. Recent info - Reverse chronology

Employers rarely are concerned about what college project you complete (unless you are a fresher, of course). Always put your latest company on top of the Experience section and then back track. If you have had a lot of job changes, make sure your recent 2-3 companies get most of the spotlight.

4. Remove unnecessary items

Things like "Reference available upon request" (of course you will provide them, if asked for) and your photo (unless you are applying for a modeling gig) are an overkill.

While you are at it, we suggest removing Age, Religion, Marital status, and Parents name as well.

5. Drop the "Career objective"

If you’ve spent a couple of years in the industry, you probably are moving towards the objective you started off for, it’s alright to not include it unless you specifically want to bring attention to it.

Otherwise it is just wasted space at the top of your resume, isn’t it?

6. Go easy on the Jargons/Acronyms

You might think that everyone must be knowing about the acronyms you use in your team/project but that might not be the case. Avoid using acronyms for projects, tools etc. Even certifications, specify those ACPs and SPCs in their full form.

7. Do not oversell Skills

Writing "Hard worker", "Detail oriented" and "Team player" in your skills is a strict No. Include your technical mastery and (if applicable) your multiple linguistic skills.

8. Devil is in the details

Consistent bullet point design, correct numbering, standard spacing/margins and correct grammar are all hallmark of a good resume. Also, do not underestimate the power of keeping it simple and try to keep it to a max of two pages.

And finally, the most important point, proofread.
Have a couple fresh eyes go through it before you submit it for your dream job. Treat your resume as a digital asset and keep refreshing it over time.

Best of luck!
..and do share your tips with me and others in the community in the comments section.

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SN

[Matt Doar]

Good points, especially about keeping it short. I would also stress spelling the name of products correctly. It's Jira not JIRA for example.

[Tanya C]

This is a great summary - thanks for posting it!

[Dave Liao]

@Sajit Nair _Trundl_ - love this article!

I review resumes a lot for friends and associates, so this article makes me happy. :)

To add to your #3 regarding the reverse chronology, if you've had many past jobs, job seekers can consider writing functional resume instead of a chronological resume (a hybrid resume combines both of these features): https://www.wsj.com/articles/resume-formats-to-play-up-your-strengths-11605106649