In a marketing class, the professor began his lecture with a question, “What is the first advertisement that you think you are going to make, once you get your degree?” The perplexed students came up with all sorts of options, “Toothpaste, FMCG, chocolate, biscuits, beauty products….” The professor smiled and said, “It’s your resume. You will need to sell yourself first for the interview of that coveted job before you can even begin applying what you learn here and with this focus let us begin our journey into the world of marketing management….”
This is how important a resume is! It is the first formal document that a recruiter asks for, when one applies for a job. For recruiters, it is also the first act of getting to know the candidate in brief. It is the observations made during this small act, pave the way for the decision that a recruiter makes for the candidate, to call him (her) for an interview or not. Hence, the importance of a resume lies in its power to influence this decision silently through its format, details of professional experience, relevance of it all in the context of the applied role, appropriateness of the language used (English mostly) and something more that generates the much needed curiosity in a recruiter about a candidate.
Did you know that the most commonly used professional resume formats are functional, reverse chronological or hybrid. Based on the career stage where a candidate is, every format has its own relevance. Also, no matter how long a professional journey is, a good resume should be able to present it in a crisp, coherent and convincing manner. The achievements mentioned should be carefully selected, based on their relevance to the applied position. In case of freshers, the highlight needs to be on the skill set and value. The font has a big role to play in creating a psychological impact on the reader. Bolder fonts tend to get noticed more often than their non-bold counterparts. However, a more than required usage of bold fonts is one of the most common turn offs for a recruiter! These are just some of the format based minute details that can prevent job seekers from winning the well-deserved opportunity.
For a single opening, a recruiter receives thousands of resumes from candidates across the globe. The more promising an opening, more are the number of resumes that a recruiter needs to screen to shortlist candidates for an interview. With a deadline attached to screening this deluge of resumes, recruiters are often faced with the uphill task of going through every resume and deciding immediately on the suitability of an applicant. Resume is the first and many times, the only opportunity available to a candidate to display his (her) experience and the value that he (she) would bring to the table.
While we all know that a resume should be a collective reserve of the entire professional journey. But what makes a great resume?
As per a recent research conducted among recruiters, one of the most common aspects found in the resumes of successful candidates is the approach taken to present only the relevant facts about a candidate’s professional journey and weave them into the requirements of the role. This sync is presented in a way that makes the transition look natural, smooth and appealing! The report spoke about the role played by statistics in creating winning resumes. Numbers tend to attract a reader more than text and hence they are used by winning resumes more often than the others.
It stated that such resumes are aimed at making a perfect and professional first impression using a multitude of strategies. Their holistic approach encompasses all the multi-dimensional aspects that a recruiter looks for, in a resume like past experience, future aspiration, career highlights, values and person-organization fit to name a few. It also went on to highlight that such resumes give a sneak peek into the thought process of such professionals. It is this clarity that helps. These candidates seriously believe that an interview lost is like an interested shopper choosing to move on, after having seen the items on the display window!
So, how does one make a killer resume?
Not everyone possesses a great resume, but a resume is a vital document that may aid you to find a good job or gain a promotion, guaranteeing that you make a better salary.
You may have an excellent job history or hands-on experience, but if you don’t know how to document it, your future employers will never realize what a treasure you are. The document, your resume or CV, reflects yourself, which should portray that. While you may be inclined to make yourself appear more confident and capable than you are, keep in mind that you must live up to your credentials.
How can you construct a CV that looks great yet does not come off as boastful or arrogant? We’ve compiled a few essential points to assist you in expressing yourself and your accomplishments on paper in a plain but memorable way – it needs to make a great first impression, so here are our top resume writing recommendations.
Consider what a recruiting manager is focused on.
Consider yourself in the shoes of a potential employer. What do you believe they are more interested in, your accomplishments or day-to-day responsibilities? It would be best to keep in mind that anybody in charge of recruiting will have a high volume of resumes to comb through, and hiring managers are likely to skip over the foam to get to the exciting reading. Furthermore, listing your routine responsibilities demonstrates that you don’t play a significant position in the business and have no accomplishments.
Your accomplishments should demonstrate how you added value to your prior employer. Did you organize a tremendously successful event that resulted in a significant corporate win? How did you enhance your bottom line revenue? Include any statistics that reflect your accomplishments. Inform your future employer about any medals, certifications, or accolades you have received. Allow your CV to brag about your accomplishments on your behalf.
Every working professional is aware of his (her) professional journey but how does one create a thread of relevance in it. How should gaps be explained? With so many templates available, which one looks more professional and convincing? How does one sync the job expectations with past experience to create a match? How long should a resume be? Which font is more appropriate? If approaching international recruiters, what style of writing should one adopt? How does one take care of dialect?
While Google has the answer to each of the above mentioned questions but the answers are so many that it’s almost impossible to zero down on a response that suits the requirement of an individual. Every Industry has some specific skill set which needs to be kept in mind when creating a resume. If a candidate wishes to switch industries then it takes the complexities to a different level since his (her) resume should reflect past experience and expertise and also co-relate it with the future industry and job. Add to this, the minute details related to the appropriateness of language and we have a mini version of complexity theory to deal with.
Thankfully, in today’s times we have resume writing experts in India who are skilled in the art of creating winner resumes and helping professionals land their dream jobs. But it is an uphill task to find a specialist resume writer who would have the industry specific knowledge. To solve this predicament are the organizations that specialize in resume writing services for any and every industry.
And, since we are not Google, we will help our readers with optimum choices and let you decide which one would you want to go with. Our well-researched list of Top 5 resume writing agencies are the most searched for, referred to (recruiters and job seekers) and have the most number of testimonials written by satisfied clients.
1. Taletel
One of the most promising resume writing service providers in India with its USP being the ability to craft engaging tales that communicate value and position candidates in the minds of recruiters effectively.
With a young yet experienced team of professional resume writers in India, they are a one stop solution for resume writing services across several industries and geographies. Their differentiating factor is the unique mix of talent, exposure and a deep understanding of the changing role of technology in creating personal brands!
With personal branding being the next big thing across all social platforms (with some influencers predicting that personal branding will be a key deciding factor by the turn of this decade), Taletel becomes one of those few resume writing agencies that knows how to turn a resume of a candidate into a powerful personal brand! Being a young team, their energy and temperament is infectious. With a razor sharp focus on current trends across all platforms online and offline and a clientele that spreads across the length and breadth of the planet, they have it all to curate resumes for every career opportunity available! Visit their site to know more
2. Estorytellers
When you are highest rated in your category, that achievement speaks volumes about the mastery that a brand has in a particular skill and this is exactly the case with Estorytellers! They are a subsidiary company of Write Right, the highest rated and reviewed professional resume writing and content marketing agency in India.
They take pride in their ability to create convincing resumes which help professionals market their skills and win interviews. Their superfast turnaround time and respect for client’s deadlines make sure that they are disciplined and thorough with their workflow.
They are a team of members who have the rare combination of mastery of English language and prolific industry knowledge. As a result, this helps those craft resumes that have the perfect synergy between what the candidates want to showcase and how they choose to do it.
An added advantage with them is the initial hand-holding they provide to job seekers and freshers who (for a lot of reasons) do not have a clear idea of creating a resume. This guidance helps candidates to understand and appreciate the value of writing a relevant and updated professional resume, how a well-articulated resume may become a key differentiator for winning interviews and how a well-documented resume separates the wheat from chaff! No wonder, they receive such raving reviews from their clients worldwide. For details, visit their site
3. Write Right
Write Right is one of the very few globally recognized professional resume writing and content creating agencies. Within a short span of 5 years, it has managed to create a distinct identity for itself in the resume writing space solely on the basis of writing a quality resume, relevant to the opening and with a dash of that something special that builds engagement and curiosity in the recruiter, EVERYTIME for every client. No wonder, it has been identified as one of the most sought after professional resume writing agencies in India and worldwide. Having won more than 20 awards in different categories, Write Right still stands tall on the values that it started off 5 years ago.
A team of accomplished resume writers, who, with their intensive domain knowledge and strategic expertise, aim for quality resumes that create trends, help professionals stand out, win interviews for clients and help recruiters map competencies with job requirements seamlessly.
They say that with power comes responsibility. The writers at Write Right seem to be ingraining this philosophy. Despite a strong backing of satisfied and happy clientele, they truly understand the impact that their resume may have on the possibility of winning an interview. They treat this impact quite seriously and make sure that every resume that they create becomes a winning horse. After all, a great resume may open the door of unlimited opportunities for professionals. To know more about them, please visit here
4. Kalam Kagaz
Kalam Kagaz, as the name suggests is the one stop solution for all kinds of professional resume writing services. Their vast knowledge and experience after having worked for clients in more than 12+ industries (for curating content for all kinds of platform ranging from blog posts, educational and technical articles to promotional posts on social media and product/service branding) enables them with a deep insight on how these industries work and the skill set and mindset required by any professional to succeed in these industries. It is this insight that helps them to create resumes that are reflective of those mindsets, which every recruiter looks for. Their experience with handling branding campaigns for various clients comes in handy when they are trying to create personal brands of job seekers through their resumes. You can read more about them here
5. Bhavik Sarkhedi & Co
Anybody who has even the slightest idea of the world of content creation must have heard the name of Bhavik Sarkhedi. He has been recognized as one of the best content writers in the World. Yes, you read it right! So, what can be expected from this agency of his? Nothing but the best in the world!
With over a decade’s experience in writing and creating brands, this agency is skilled at balancing facts with emotions to create a professional resume that sounds more like an engaging work of art. If this is not enough, one may well be interested in going through what the satisfied clients say about the impeccable style and element of surprise that the resume writers of this agency put in which keeps the resumes vibrant and appealing! To know more, you can visit them here
Professional resume writing has clearly evolved from the days of it being a compilation of work experience to becoming an instrument for personal branding. With the world becoming more and more connected, the old workplace practices are being replaced by more flexible norms in the form of remote work and work from anywhere.
There could not be a better time to aim for higher aspirations. Technology has elevated every barrier that ever was, to a more fulfilling career. Today, the vast opportunities require professionals with a unique combination of skill, talent, will and value system. That’s why a professionally curated resume is of utmost importance today. As mentioned earlier, its capability to influence the recruiter’s decision makes it a powerful tool and hence the need to craft it in a manner that it sets out to achieve the purpose. Its ability to narrate an engaging and intriguing story that interconnects all the pertinent elements of the professional journey, thus convincing the recruiter of the candidature of the applicant is what makes it a winner amongst the plain vanilla flavors!
Which one would you pick to weave your professional resume?