Resume Writing Guidelines
A resume is a document used and created by a person to present their background, skills, and accomplishments. It is a "summary" of relevant job experience and education. It should not be more than 2 pages long, and for enrolled students with no or minimal experience, 1 page will suffice. Remember that human resource personnel will browse your resume for a couple of seconds, hence you need to make it appeal visually.
The resume can be divided into sections of:
- Personal details
- Objective
- Education
- Experiences
- Skills
- Achievements/Projects/Participations
Click here to view the resume template.
Mistakes in a resume
- Spelling mistakes and bad grammar
- Get someone to review your resume, our office provides resume check-up/review from time to time.
- Focusing on duties rather than achievements
- If you have achieved something worthwhile during your work experience, highlight that instead of job duties.
- Using clichés
- Using terms such as "good communicator;" "can-do-attitude" and "team player" without substantiating them with facts or examples will add very little (if any) value and whoever is reading your resume will just tune out.
- Incorrect information
- Do not lie, you need to put the facts out. Remember, they might ask for references at a later stage.
- Poor format
- The format/design of the resume should be appealing and readable. Print out the resume to ensure that the fonts are not too small/big.
- Failure to tailor
- Every vacancy needs a fresh resume, hence tailor and accommodate the requirements as mentioned.
- Too long
- Your resume is not supposed to be a novel – if the employer is not convinced after 1-2 pages; it is likely they will not be persuaded in the next four. Keep it concise and remember less is often more.