Getting your Resume Right

'Just got that long-awaited call for a job from Airtel, was floundered then, as didn't have my cv ready!!' That was the distress email I just got from a dear friend, who wanted me to quickly spruce up her cv and send it 'under emergency conditions' to her, as she put it.
Having just finished doing that, i wondered if anyone else out there was also facing a tough time trying to write out their resume? Or CV - as a lot of us call it.

I know it's not easy for most of us to distance ourselves from our work objectively enough to view and review all we have been doing. Nevertheless a good resume writer can do a lot of good for you in this matter. But for those confident of doing it themselves, or perhaps just too short on time to get a professional cv done, let me share some quick CV tips:
1. Keep it to two pages (even if you are a senior IT guy with lists of projects - add those as annexure, which just key ones, as most relevant to the job at hand in the main resume)
2. Do a chronological listing of work experience, starting with most recent first, same goes for educational qualifications.
3. Start the resume with your name and contact details, followed by a brief - and that means brief - summary statement of your key functions, area of interest, and skills + education qualification as relevant to these.
4. Keep the language simple and NO grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. That really creates a bad impression.
Still want to learn more - check articles on resume writing

Of course all jobs may not call for a cv - for example if applying for indian government jobs you need to patiently fill in pages of forms, but don't have to worry about a cv at least!! But generally its good to have your cv ready and waiting, especially as jobs are coming up and fast just now!

(Also read my blog : http://lifeworkplace.blogspot.com/ - a look at the lighter side of life at the workplace!)