Tips on Resume Writing for Recent Graduates

If you are a fresh graduate who has no work experience, your resume is your calling card. A resume must convey your qualifications and skills, as well as highlight qualities desired in the workplace, such as leadership, communication, teamwork, and negotiation skills. When written correctly, a resume can convey to a prospective employer who you are and why you are the best person for the job.That’s a lot to ask if you are writing your first resume. But don’t worry, help is at hand. There are several websites where you can find resume writing templates. All you need to do is select the layout that suits your job application the best, and fill in the relevant details. Some of the resume writing websites you can check out are:

• Naukri
• UAE HR Zone
• Career ride
• Shine

You can also download and use one of the various apps available for resume writing. The popular ones are:

• Free Résumé App (Android)
• Resume star online (iOS)
• Monster Jobs (iOS and Android)
• Smart Resume Builder / CV Free (Android)

A typical fresher resume should have the following layout:

• Name and contact information header: Use a large font so that it is easy to read.
• Career Objective: Though it is optional most candidates prefer to include this. If you decide to include a statement of your career goals, keep it clear and brief.
• Educational Qualifications: Include all relevant information in chronological order. Define your skills in the context of the job requirements. Include keywords in your resume to indicate the kind of job you are interested in. For example, if you are targeting a job in direct marketing, include the phrase in your resume a few times; this will help employers find your profile while searching for candidates on job portals.
• Relevant practical experience: While you may have no work experience, write about projects, internship, or academic research that may be of interest to employers.
• Software skills: Today most employers want candidates with savvy software skills. So if you are proficient in MS Office, Photoshop, or any other software application, do mention these skills.
• Achievements: Define all your achievements clearly, and correlate them to the requirements of the job. For example, if you have been the president of your school’s debate club, and the job requirements include exceptional communication skills, then connect the dots for the person reading the resume.
• References: Seek references from your teachers, or from your immediate boss in the company you did a summer job.  Remember your prospective employer may contact the references given to get more information about you. So ensure that you only give names of people you can trust to give positive feedback.

Some general guidelines that you should follow for formatting the resume are:

• The resume must be a useful document to the readers. So, you must provide concise and relevant information only. Do not attempt to make it an all-purpose resume. Each prospective employer has specific requirements and criteria, and your resume should address them in full.
• Research your potential employer’s business; this will help you to customise the resume, and potentially save you from making major blunders during the interview.
• The resume should look professional. It should be consistent, clear, and concise. For example, don’t use bullets at one place and dashes at another. Use plain white paper for printing and ensure that the resume doesn’t have too much text.
• Resumes can be one or two pages long, however, for the first resume of your professional life, try to keep it to one page
• Use standard fonts such as Arial and Times New Roman with font size 11.
• Avoid use of graphics / emoticons.
• For the body of the resume, keep margins of up to 1 inch
• Avoid using font highlighting features such as bold, underlining, italics, and shading as they do not always look the same on all printers, screens and operating systems
• Proofread your resume thoroughly for spelling and grammar mistakes

Avoid these common mistakes while writing your first resume.

• Typos and grammatical errors: Do not write your resume in a hurry and don’t copy it blindly from various sources. A simple typo or a grammatical mistake can jeopardise your chances of getting the job.
• Lengthy: Bigger is not necessarily better when it comes to a fresher resume because no one has time to read long prose. Using flowery and ornamental language in your fresher resume won’t take you far. Choose your words carefully, and do not repeat them. A one-page resume is an ideal length for a fresher.
• Impersonal cover letter or emails: When writing a cover letter or email for sending your resume, address the contact person. Writing a general email starting with just a “Hi” or “to whom it may concern” is a big blunder.
• Inaccurate objective: Remember, the idea of writing career aim is to grab recruiter’s attention. Make sure it is not hyped up, and do not copy paste.
• Not prioritising achievements: Do not let the unimportant achievements take attention away from your major accomplishment. Arrange them in a way that important things catch attention.

Fresh graduates find it challenging to break into the job market. In a recent survey of 4000 candidates in the Middle Eastand North Africa (Mena), 26 percent admitted that getting a job these days is tough, and 52 percent felt that employers prefer candidates with work experience. Follow the above-mentioned tips on resume writing to improve your chances of landing your first job.

Also, recommended reading: 10 Tips to Get a Job as a Fresh Graduate