Thursday, January 13, 2011

Top Resume Writing Myths & Mistakes to Avoid

Resume is a very important document which is necessary while applying for any post. The resume should be well drafted and unique to stand out from all the other competing resumes and impress the recruiter. It will increase your chances of getting the desired job.
However, there are some resume writing myths and mistakes which are to be avoided while writing a technical resume such as java technical resume and CTO technical resume. Here we provide information about such myths with possible explanation which will help you to avoid these mistakes:
  • The resume objective should be clear and specific to the job you have applied for:
The objective statement should be specific to the post you have applied for. It would inform the recruiter that you are focused. It is the essential section in your resume and it is the first section that the recruiter would go through in your resume. It should impress the recruiter and retain their interest so that they would go through the entire resume.
  • The length of the resume should not exceed two pages:
Generally this rule is applicable in most of the resumes. However, there are certain exceptions to this rule especially in case of resumes of technical persons, consultants and executives. It is very difficult to accommodate all the previous work experience of such technical professionals in it.
If these important details are compressed and included then there are chances of excluding some essential information in it. An excellent solution to this problem is to utilize certain specific technical words related to your profession in the resume. This will retain the interest of the employer even if the resume exceeds two pages.
  • Resume should include information only about the last ten years of experience:
The content included should be based on what you would like to emphasize. The recruiter is interested in your recent work experience. Hence include the recent ones and brief summary of past work experience. However, it is alright to include information about all your previous work experience for an experienced person even if this section becomes lengthy.
  • Including personal information in the resume:
This is the common mistake made by all the job seekers while drafting their resume. You can include information about any professional memberships in it. Avoid including personal information such as hobbies, family status and other such personal details in it. The recruiter is least interested about such personal details and including it would also affect your chances of getting a job.
  • It is necessary to describe thoroughly information about the responsibilities undertaken by you in each position:
The main purpose of listing the responsibilities in the work experience section is to inform the recruiter about your achievements. It will clearly make known your ability to produce results and solve problems. 
Thus, the common myths with their possible explanations associated with writing a resume are mentioned above. This will help you to avoid these mistakes while drafting your own resume.



Sunday, January 9, 2011

Things to Do Before Sending Resume to a Client/Company

There is an intense competition and the recruiter has to go through many resumes. It is therefore necessary to carefully draft your technical resume so that it would stand out from the other competing ones and impress your employer. Hence, we provide you some important things which we have to do before sending resume to a client /company:
  • Browse different websites and check out some sample technical resumes such as technical sales resume. It will help you in finding out the right format and sections to be included in it. This will help you to draft your own effective resume.
  • The formats that can be utilized for drafting are functional or chronological format. The functional format is preferably utilized for drafting technical resume.
  • The important sections which are to be included are summary of your technical skills, objective, educational qualification, work experience and training.
  • The objective statement is the first section which the employer goes through. It should be precise and specific to the position you have applied for. Majority of job seekers make a very common mistake by not including this section in the resume. You should also check out the length of the objective. Ideally it should not be more than two sentences.
  • The technical summary section is very important and it should not leave out any of your important skills. You can also categorize the different sub sections such as operating systems, languages, hardware and software and fill in the relevant information in it.
  • The work experience section should include details beginning with the most recent one followed by the others. It should clearly include the details such as the name of the company, city and the duration.
  • The education qualification section should include some information which is relevant to the field you have applied for. Include information about any courses and training that you have undertaken.
  • The sections such as education, work experience and technical skills should be included in bulleted points. The length of the resume should not be more than two pages.
  • Check out whether the format of your technical resume is consistent. The best fonts that should be opted for are Times New Roman, Vedanta or Arial. The font size should be 12 points.
  • Revise the content and check out for any grammar and spelling errors. Correct these errors before sending them to a client or a company.
Once you have completed the task of drafting your resume, check out the things mentioned above before sending your resume to a company or a client. This will help you to get a desired job.