How to make your resume?

RESUME

                           ‘’ Your resume meets the interviewer before you do!’’

Exactly, even before you meet the interviewer your resume does the talking and makes a huge impact on the whole interview. So, the first and the most important step is to make your own resume. (A pretty rock solid one)

What is a good resume?

• if you have studied in various places/states it’s considered a big advantage because that would show that you are adaptable to different environs. If that is not the case and all your life has been confined to a single place and then simply avoid mentioning the places in resume.

• Consistency in your percentage semester wise is very good, gradual increase in percentage semester wise is awesome!!!! If there is fall in percentage like mine then it’s a little bit of trouble but don’t worry at end of this article I have mentioned about how to manage such situation

• For engineering students SAE, ASME,MSP  are some of the organizations which one should look forward to have association with as it is considered a big advantage. I would recommend other branch students also to join such clubs or organizations.

• Board in which you have done your schooling also matters. Usually in CBSE/ICSE schools like KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA,DAV,JAWAHAR NAVODAYA,CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY SCHOOLS,HPS,DPS etc( I mean no disrespect to other schools there are hell lot of other good schools these are just a few examples) lot of importance is given to extracurricular activities apart from studies so they would prefer these students.

• People who play sports have a very good advantage over others especially team games like football, cricket etc and if you are part of the college team or any other club make sure you tell this to the interviewer because it not only shows you are interested in extracurricular activities but also have a real time experience of working in teams and obviously about your physical fitness.

• Polyglot- one who can speak different languages has an edge over others because he/she can communicate in different languages and has a greater probability of working efficiently in different work places where people from all the states work.

• If you have done part time or even taken tuition it would automatically show him that you have an individuality of your own and also an urge to survive on your own.

• One of the most important aspects would be mini project or internship which you are supposed to do in your 3rd or 4th year. A compulsory question would be asked to you regarding the project you have done ( for ex: what is that you have done personally i.e. what is your own contribution to the project and what have you learned  from it??)

• Hobbies are also very important. Any activity like reading books, photography,painting or gardening can be included in the resume. Unusual hobbies give you a special identity in the interviews and obviously lands your name in the interviewers head. I have a friend who is a guitarist and plays for bands and performs live etc this hobby played a great role in his interview process and ended up with him getting placed in Microsoft with a salary of around 10lpa. 

• Social service is also considered a very big positive as it shows a sense of responsibility and also willingness to act for the society.

There are many other aspects these are just few of them. If your resume has info related to the above mentioned content then you just have a better chance of getting a job. And
if you don’t then absolutely no need to worry, this are just a few examples for you to understand what type of content in the resume would be advantageous, cheer up and think what other qualities or activities can you include from your life. Ultimately what matters the most is what you speak in the interview, irrespective of you not being a guitarist or a football player or from CBSE background or with an aggregate of above 80% if you convince the interviewer that you are capable of doing the task given to you then the job is yours!!!!

How to make your resume?

The worst mistake one could do while preparing his/her resume is by copying it from someone else. So please make your own resume and then go to your English lecturer or some friend who is good at English and get it read so that you can mark the errors which you couldn’t point out yourself.

STEP 1- Browse the internet and save a sample resume of a engineering graduate (fresher preferably).Then you will get a rough idea about what are the elements of a resume and also the format.

STEP 2- Make sure that the format you select is not complicated. A simple format is considered the best option because the interviewer on the day of interview is already tired of taking the interviews and if a resume with a very complicated format comes on his desk unnecessarily it would turn his mood off.

STEP 3- After selecting a format write down about yourself on a piece of paper which should majorly include

• A. Aggregate in school, inter and engineering( also the places where you pursed your education) 
• B. Mini projects/ internships if any
• C. Paper presentations if any
• D. Part time job if any
• E. Extracurricular activities in college apart from academics which can include N.S.S, sports, college cultural club or and other association or committee.( anything worth mentioning about yourself in your school/intermediate as well, For example-NCC, scouts & guides,)
• F. Your aim in life both short term and long term
• G. Languages you can speak
• H. Info about your family, the occupation of your siblings or parents
• I. Strengths 
• J. Weakness (you should never mention your weakness in your resume and never in the interview as well. Until and unless the interviewer asks you about your weakness, just avoid it. But one should always keep in mind his weakness because when the questions pops out you should be in position to tell him, telling him that you don’t have any weakness would probably be the worst answer you could give because that would simply mean that you are telling him that you are perfect and the interviewers would hate you for that!!!)

STEP 4- Prepare a resume using all the above info 12pt font and times new roman(best combo for resume writing). Use side headings and fill up the resume and make sure whatever you write you keep it short not more that a line and always use bullets.

STEP 5- Resume of a fresher should never exceed 2 pages, so edit the resume and get it read by someone.

STEP 6- Finalize the resume and get it proof read and keep 3-4 copies with you and also a soft copy in your mail because you will have to use it many times.

Mini/study project or an internship

Whether the company is IT based or core a question regarding your mini/study project is compulsory. 

What exactly is this? 

In your four years of engineering apart from the final year project which is mandatory for everyone there is thing called mini/study project which is compulsory for students studying in colleges affiliated to BPUT.

When to do it?
There is no particular time for doing it but mostly students complete this in their 3rd year. I personally suggest 3rd year 2nd semester is the best time to do it because 4th year will be a little late as the companies would start coming as soon as the semester begins.

Where to do it?
It can be done at any industry/institute/plant related to your branch of engineering. Many or our ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS students carry out their mini project at BSNL, it costs around 3000 approx. It is recommended to carry out your project at some place where you can gain practical knowledge in a short span of time. These are just a few examples my advice would be to contact your branch seniors for the contacts they can guide you in the best way possible.

How is this useful?
In the interviews apart from your subject and your hobbies etc they would like to know if you have the urge to take a step further find out about the various industries and complete a project in it. Almost everyone does it for the certificate and yes you have to do it for certificate and when it comes to learning part common whom are you kidding what can you learn in a week or two and moreover what can you contribute to your project All that is crap when ever this question of what was your contribution/ What actually did you do there?? Pops out just tell them that it was just a study project and explain him a little about your project, they don’t expect more than that!!! And also convey that you are interested in the application part of engineering which made you do that project!!!!

What if you didn’t do any such project?
No problem at all….just choose some topic Google it and write it in your resume under the name of some industry (They won’t ask you to show the certificate, But if they do then only god must save you: P) Better get a certificate, why to take risk!!!

Dress etiquette

GUYS

• For guys a formal shirt and pant, shirt preferably of a lighter shade, tie is optional.
• Make sure the color of your socks and pant match, similarly color of belt and shoes should match each other.
• Please shave...Interview with a beard is a total no.
• Try to avoid chains/bracelets, a simple watch is fine, and finally smile on the face would make you look perfect.

GIRLS

• If you are comfortable with formal shirt and skirt then go for it( I have not seen anyone till now except for the H.R with such a dress code) otherwise a simple churidar would do it.
• Avoid jewelry or any other flashy accessories.
• Hair should be styled in a simple fashion and shouldn’t draw much attention.

“Don’t overdress; there should be a clear demarcation between the interviewer
and the interviewee: P”

Research about the company and job profile

This is the point where you can make a difference, irrespective of how good your academics are or how many projects you have done. A person who actually/seriously wants the job won’t hesitate to do some extra homework and find out about the company details. Just brief info is enough but where you need to work carefully is finding out the exact job profile for which you are attending the placement.

Instead of asking about the job profile in the interview or waiting for the pre placement talk I would rather suggest you to check out Website/forums or talk to the seniors who already work there, somehow find out and be very clear about what exactly you will be doing once you join the company.
 

Once you are familiar with the job profile you can asses yourself and find out if your profile is suitable to the job profile. Moral of the story is, if your interests and your profile meets the job profile then well and good go ahead be yourself give your best shot but what if it doesn’t match the and you want the job pretty badly then 

”give the interviewer what he wants not what you have or what you like, give examples which would assure him that you are fit for that job, if you really don’t have examples then make upsome”