Resume Writing – 20 Quick Steps to Write Your First Resume

A must read on resume writing. Especially for students writing their first resume.

We know you’re students and you might not have a resume yet. Hassle not, LJ Institute of Media and Communications presents 20 quick resume writing tips for students writing their first resume.

The internet is filled with articles on resume writing tips and words to never use in your professional resume. Most of them are for those who already have a resume and need to merely update or modify it.

What for students creating their resume for the first time?

Here’s the good news. Writing a good resume doesn’t take long. In this article we teach you resume writing tips to nail for your first internship or job interview. With these essential elements you’ll be able to make a kick-ass resume in almost no time.

#1. Give a name to your “resume” file. Don’t leave it named “resume”.

#2. Random qualifications and extracurricular’s and interests should be added at the bottom. Do not add them anywhere in the middle of your resume.

#3. Do not include your cover letter in the resume. It is NOT a part of your resume.

#4. Use a font size of either 11, 12 or 13. Font size 14 gives an impression that you’re trying to fill the blank space.

#5. Use the same font in the entire resume.

#6. Time New Roman or Calibri is acceptable. Don’t get too adventurous when it comes to adopting the fonts for your resume.

#7. Use a single color, black in the entire resume. I love reading sections highlighted with different colors said no one ever.

#8. Add only those details that are essential. Trivial information such as the number of phone calls you handled in your past internship will make the reader loose interest.

#9. Your name should be the first thing on the resume.

#10. Include a professional headshot on the right side of the page. If its small, off-center or distant or you don’t look good, go get a good photo clicked.

#11. “A hard-working girl from Y” – Never refer to yourself as a girl/boy.

#12. Use a professional email address. cutegirl@gmail.com, handsomeX@yahoo.com – No please.

#13. Include your contact details such as email and phone number.

#14. Just as too many details are bad, so are too less details. Internship (April 2016-June 2016) needs more description.

#15. Information about you should be in bullet points. No one has time to read long sentences.

#16. Email a PDF version of your resume.

#17. Don’t mention your weaknesses.

#18. Since you’re a student, make sure to include internships.

#19. Your resume should be of 1 page and NOT more than that.

#20. Get someone to edit it.

Here’s what should be included in your resume:

• Name
• Headshot
• Address
• Contact details (phone number + email)
• Education
• Qualifications
• Experience
• Awards (if any)
• Your strengths
• Add visuals if you want to break the monotony, but then make the entire resume an infographic.

Resume writing is not rocket science. Follow these 20 steps and your impressive resume is ready to help you gain your dream job.

Here are some cool references:

• http://www.businessinsider.in/19-Reasons-Why-This-Is-An-Excellent-Resume/articleshow/25397655.cms
• https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-41-best-resume-templates-ever
• http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonyoushaei/2014/08/27/resumes/#6ee34ad3507b