<p>Towards the end of one’s academic life, students start building up their resumes as advised by their Placement Officers or on their own accord. A resume is a brief compilation of key facts of a candidate’s life and a key tool to present his/her candidature for an appropriate job. However, in today’s internet era, the resume has become a tricky tool indeed. With resumes being sent by e-mail along with the age-old snail-mail modes, certain things need fresh reflections.<br /><br />Points to bear in mind <br /><br /></p>.<p>-Unique objective: Many colleges have dedicated placement cells. The Placement Officer compiles all the resumes and sorts them according to specialisations or areas of interest. Chances are that your resume will be one amongst the many sent from the same college, along with your batch-mates. In such cases, ensure that-you have stated a unique objective, lest you end up with the same one as that of many of your classmates. Also, avoid using the words ‘willing to learn on the job’ even if that is an unstated norm. Companies hire you to perform, not to learn.<br /><br />- Covering letter: In spite of being advised repeatedly, students tend to forget writing a covering letter when they send a resume through e-mail. This creates some peculiar scenarios. A covering letter must be just that and not a mini-resume in itself. Being polite in the address of the person as also requesting him to consider for that job, always helps.<br /><br /> Start and end the covering mail with appropriate greetings and salutations and sign off with your full name, address and mobile number. <br /><br />-Naming the resume: Many students name their resume on their computer as mere ‘Resume’ and then go ahead and attach the same to the e-mail. Now there could be scores of resumes landing up in the recruiters’ inbox. One cannot expect him to download and then cross verify to rename the resumes himself. A simple task of naming the resume file on your full name could save his precious time and avoid irritability. Also, get a popular domain name and not a funny one that people rarely use. <br /><br />- Care with e-mails & phones: Today, there are numerous options to open an e-mail account. However, students choose names that they fancy and then turn into a laughing stock at the recruiter’s desk. E-mail ids like, ‘cutesania@xyz.com’ or ‘luvrahul@abc.com’ can be a normal thing for you but end up showing immaturity. Students must make it a point (not in case where their mobiles beep every time they receive a new e-mail) to check the e-mail at least twice a day. Chances are there has been an updated correspondence from the recruiter on the e-mail you have provided. The same holds true for mobile phones wherein students must keep their phones charged and with appropriate currency in it for it to function well 24x7. <br /><br />-Following the format: Many a time, companies ask for the resume to be sent in a typical format, whether word file or as a PDF file. In such cases, the same has to be followed. At other times, it is specifically expected that there be no attachments. In such cases, the candidate can simply paste his resume in the compose section of the email. While we do this, it is always safe to first mail the same to yourself and check if the format works. Only then must we send the email to the addressee.<br /><br />- Wait for response: Once you’ve emailed your resume, wait for a reasonable time before you start sending mails to check for the response. Frequently, companies respond quickly to selected or short listed resumes and may not otherwise. No HR manager would be expected to reply to all candidates who have sent the resumes, leave alone acknowledging it. Repeatedly sending emails may lead to your id being blocked as spam.<br /><br />- Use standard fonts: Although attractive fonts look good, some exotic ones may not open at the receiver’s end. To avoid this, use standard fonts in the resume. Generally, TimesNewRoman/ Arial / Calibri and such simple fonts are used which are installed in almost all computers. <br /><br />Things to be careful about<br /><br />-Spell and grammar check: While sending resumes by post or courier, one needs to print it out on paper. Ensure that you run a spell check and grammar check from at least two persons before you send your resume. Any spelling mistakes or language gaffes can ruin your prospects. <br /><br />-New resume for new job: Always create a new resume for a new job or company. This ensures that you customise the objective, expected salary, skill sets, etc. according to that specific company and post. <br /><br />-Care with print: Always print your resume on clean white paper and never use old, dull or crumpled paper. Print only on one side with justified spacing and adequate margins for filing. <br /><br />-Data updates: Update all data including dates, age, marital status, fresh qualifications immediate in your resume’s soft copy. Never commit the mistake of striking off old facts and re-writing or using a whitener to hide it. Get a fresh print if something has gone wrong, even if it’s a tiny one.<br /><br />- Proof check: Check and recheck email address, postal address and mobile numbers, for any mistake in a hyphen or a zero here and there can make or break a career.<br />n Avoid forwarding: Never make the mistake of forwarding the same resume to multiple addressees at one go. This shows that you are mass-sending resumes and are not keen on any one company as such. Take the trouble to send each one separately by removing the forward link.<br /><br />- Current photo: Make sure the photo is latest and not one taken during college days, even if it means you look different now than earlier. The recruiter would not like to be surprised by your current appearance. Also, don’t give special effects, crop or Photoshop your photo as it clearly shows. <br /><br />A resume is a mini advertisement of the candidate and must be presentable and not flamboyant. A resume that is clear, errorless and speaks to the point, says many things about the candidate sending it. Care must be taken to avoid being judged adversely and to win the coveted interview opportunity.<br /><br />(The writer is a training and placement officer in Belgaum.)</p>
<p>Towards the end of one’s academic life, students start building up their resumes as advised by their Placement Officers or on their own accord. A resume is a brief compilation of key facts of a candidate’s life and a key tool to present his/her candidature for an appropriate job. However, in today’s internet era, the resume has become a tricky tool indeed. With resumes being sent by e-mail along with the age-old snail-mail modes, certain things need fresh reflections.<br /><br />Points to bear in mind <br /><br /></p>.<p>-Unique objective: Many colleges have dedicated placement cells. The Placement Officer compiles all the resumes and sorts them according to specialisations or areas of interest. Chances are that your resume will be one amongst the many sent from the same college, along with your batch-mates. In such cases, ensure that-you have stated a unique objective, lest you end up with the same one as that of many of your classmates. Also, avoid using the words ‘willing to learn on the job’ even if that is an unstated norm. Companies hire you to perform, not to learn.<br /><br />- Covering letter: In spite of being advised repeatedly, students tend to forget writing a covering letter when they send a resume through e-mail. This creates some peculiar scenarios. A covering letter must be just that and not a mini-resume in itself. Being polite in the address of the person as also requesting him to consider for that job, always helps.<br /><br /> Start and end the covering mail with appropriate greetings and salutations and sign off with your full name, address and mobile number. <br /><br />-Naming the resume: Many students name their resume on their computer as mere ‘Resume’ and then go ahead and attach the same to the e-mail. Now there could be scores of resumes landing up in the recruiters’ inbox. One cannot expect him to download and then cross verify to rename the resumes himself. A simple task of naming the resume file on your full name could save his precious time and avoid irritability. Also, get a popular domain name and not a funny one that people rarely use. <br /><br />- Care with e-mails & phones: Today, there are numerous options to open an e-mail account. However, students choose names that they fancy and then turn into a laughing stock at the recruiter’s desk. E-mail ids like, ‘cutesania@xyz.com’ or ‘luvrahul@abc.com’ can be a normal thing for you but end up showing immaturity. Students must make it a point (not in case where their mobiles beep every time they receive a new e-mail) to check the e-mail at least twice a day. Chances are there has been an updated correspondence from the recruiter on the e-mail you have provided. The same holds true for mobile phones wherein students must keep their phones charged and with appropriate currency in it for it to function well 24x7. <br /><br />-Following the format: Many a time, companies ask for the resume to be sent in a typical format, whether word file or as a PDF file. In such cases, the same has to be followed. At other times, it is specifically expected that there be no attachments. In such cases, the candidate can simply paste his resume in the compose section of the email. While we do this, it is always safe to first mail the same to yourself and check if the format works. Only then must we send the email to the addressee.<br /><br />- Wait for response: Once you’ve emailed your resume, wait for a reasonable time before you start sending mails to check for the response. Frequently, companies respond quickly to selected or short listed resumes and may not otherwise. No HR manager would be expected to reply to all candidates who have sent the resumes, leave alone acknowledging it. Repeatedly sending emails may lead to your id being blocked as spam.<br /><br />- Use standard fonts: Although attractive fonts look good, some exotic ones may not open at the receiver’s end. To avoid this, use standard fonts in the resume. Generally, TimesNewRoman/ Arial / Calibri and such simple fonts are used which are installed in almost all computers. <br /><br />Things to be careful about<br /><br />-Spell and grammar check: While sending resumes by post or courier, one needs to print it out on paper. Ensure that you run a spell check and grammar check from at least two persons before you send your resume. Any spelling mistakes or language gaffes can ruin your prospects. <br /><br />-New resume for new job: Always create a new resume for a new job or company. This ensures that you customise the objective, expected salary, skill sets, etc. according to that specific company and post. <br /><br />-Care with print: Always print your resume on clean white paper and never use old, dull or crumpled paper. Print only on one side with justified spacing and adequate margins for filing. <br /><br />-Data updates: Update all data including dates, age, marital status, fresh qualifications immediate in your resume’s soft copy. Never commit the mistake of striking off old facts and re-writing or using a whitener to hide it. Get a fresh print if something has gone wrong, even if it’s a tiny one.<br /><br />- Proof check: Check and recheck email address, postal address and mobile numbers, for any mistake in a hyphen or a zero here and there can make or break a career.<br />n Avoid forwarding: Never make the mistake of forwarding the same resume to multiple addressees at one go. This shows that you are mass-sending resumes and are not keen on any one company as such. Take the trouble to send each one separately by removing the forward link.<br /><br />- Current photo: Make sure the photo is latest and not one taken during college days, even if it means you look different now than earlier. The recruiter would not like to be surprised by your current appearance. Also, don’t give special effects, crop or Photoshop your photo as it clearly shows. <br /><br />A resume is a mini advertisement of the candidate and must be presentable and not flamboyant. A resume that is clear, errorless and speaks to the point, says many things about the candidate sending it. Care must be taken to avoid being judged adversely and to win the coveted interview opportunity.<br /><br />(The writer is a training and placement officer in Belgaum.)</p>
