Challenges for a perfect resume
Tags: resume, fresher, jobopenings, corporateresume
Published: 2024-03-20 09:49:05

How a perfect resume should look like??

> Nothing is perfect, not even your resume.

1. There isn't any word like perfect resume
2. Every resume is unique in their own way
3. You just need to understand what you've written in your resume
4. Resume is first impression of you in front of the hiring manager.
5. Make your resume ATS(Applicant Tracking System) friendly, most of the companies are using these systems to take less time to shortlist candidates.
6. You should be able to let the interviewer understand every single content on your resume.

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Some mistakes I've seen till now in many candidates (11 as of now, might add more later):

- Contact details should always be mentioned at the beginning. 

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/xxiciy0gvezzntt3d1m5.png)

Anything, related to contacting you should be mentioned in the beginning. For eg- Phone no, you social media links, portfolio, etc.

- Not proper dates in their professional journey:

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/c60nw43itc192rxjsm7j.png)

You should always check the dates are properly mentioned for all your experienced journey.

- Not prioritizing job role/company name

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/n7f4zt9qwnwutzquy743.png)

Always prioritize role/company name/duration. If possible, make them bold to emphasize more strength on them. Other details are less important for even hiring managers. 

- Not providing information in correct heading

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/q7hawd1tgkj31jwc5n0w.png)

Since, this is academic projects, as header says, you should not be working on that now. It should be ~~Working~~ Worked. Or, you can write header as Projects only, to be relevant to your information.

- Not providing duration/marks

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/snic09verpi5r5lr5bc9.png)

Marks doesn't matter once you enter corporate, but for freshers, it's one of the factor to shortlist candidates as it shows how you've tackled your college academics & other activities which'll eventually affect your corporate journey. 
Duration is necessary to validate if there's any backlogs/gaps between your academic journey or career gaps as well during your professional journey.  

- Customizing your social media profiles with a professional username

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/gztv6wl85xandlovmtg9.png)

Customizing your social media with a professional username is sometimes crucial when you're applying for SMM like roles. Moreover, it shows your professional growth & formal ettiquete to understand. No one wants to search for _nitin-kumar-8cfg90_ or _nitin-the-badboy-of-india_ on LinkedIn. This isn't considered professional profile. Try to customize it as a username which can used for multiple social media, for easy sharing too.

- Making resume like your canvas

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/1ich2ch5lfz788m2zz7l.png)

Hiring managers don't want to see your drawing skills in resume, even if you're asking referral for a painter job. You can write everything pointwise which'll be helpful for ATS as well as humans to understand & shortlist you. 

- Manage your resume.docx with formal document

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/mnb4vr7z6v4d6f2tfl21.png)

Sharing your resume as docx or any other file type might change the formatting of file contents. Also, name your resume as YOURNAME_ROLE_Resume.pdf instead of some other random names. Always share resumes in pdf format.

- No need to write complete book about your professional journey

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/q5mibbj8f66dww0kvdyx.png)

Write pointwise about your professional journey but not more than 5 points, all of those should be small & to-the-point.

- Use bold text type precisely

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/q0wdog9bn6j2mebika82.png)

Don't use bold type everywhere, only use it wherever applicable like headers, roles, etc. Resume should look neat & clean so that it can be soothening to eyes to read for hiring manager as well as the interview panels.

- Format your contact details

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/hfduya0is0ekzh6c1015.png)

Always format your contact details. They might end up going to new line which may not be taken up by ATS systems. Try to format them in single line only.

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Some tips for referrals:

- Never just share your resume, share things in body of your mail. Following are the things you can add in your body:

   i. Write 50-60 words about you & your professional journey, skills
   ii. Share relevant job id's if you have. You can go to the company's careers portal & check it.
   iii. Politely ask them to check for any relevant oppurtunities if they might have relevant to your skills. Mention skills in body as well.
   iv. Go through some email writing tutorials

- Try to write a formal & informative subject line. Following are some examples:

   i. YOUR_NAME | JOB_CODE/ROLE | EXP_IN_YRS
   ii. YOUR_NAME | JOB_CODE | PRIMARY_SKILLS
   iii. YOUR_NAME | PRIMARY_SKILLS | EXP

- It's always better to check & read every details in your resume whatever you've written as there might be questions arising to mind of HR/hiring people.

- Search for people over LinkedIn for the company's opening you're applying for. Referrals increases your chance of shortlisting of your resume. 

- Connect more with like minded people over internet & keep sharing your knowledge so that in case  of doubt over any topic, you can have a healthy discussion over it.

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Golden tip:

- Always have some format to ask for referrals on Linkedin. That format should be short enough & informative to include all your information including job id/job link.

Steps to follow:

Step 1: Search for employees in company you need job & you already have job id/job link.
Step 2: Click on connect button to connect with person & ask for referral. Some people only have follow button, leave them.
Step 3: Make a short format(I'll provide one which I was using for my job hunting) & use it across.
Step 4: Click on Add a note in below. Make sure to use [link shortners](https://tinyurl.com/) so that message can be short enough to fit inside.
![Add a note](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/or0gkgb5548tn6y7ipzo.png)
Step 5: Put that short message after clicking on Add a note there.
Step 6: Now, submit so that person can see that message whenever he'll accept your request, also prior he can see that a note is being shared.

TEMPLATE_1:

Hi `CONCERNED_PERSON`,
Seeking a referral for the job of '`JOBO_TITLE`' (`JOB_id`) @ `COMPANY_NAME`. Resume: `YOUR_RESUME_LINK_SHORTENED`, Contact: `MAIL_ID` /`PHONE_NUMBER`.

TEMPLATE_2:

Hi `CONCERNED_PERSON`, can you please refer me in `JOB_TITLE` role with Job ID - `JOB_id`? My resume - `YOUR_RESUME_LINK_SHORTENED` . Contact: `MAIL_ID` /`PHONE_NUMBER`. Revert me back in case you need anything else. Job link - `JOB_LINK`.

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Keep hustling, job searching is a big process which demands your constant work along with working on your skills and relevant projects. Work on medium/high level projects to get into the eyes of hiring managers. Moreover, showcase them into your connections to get recommendations.


Feel free to reach out to me via [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin30kumar/), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/nitinkumar30.py/) or checkout my [Portfolio](https://nitinkr.me).

HAPPY HACKING !!!