Drafting a Resume: Here's a Complete Guide with a Sample

A resume is something that plays the most important role when one applies for a job. It is also known as Curriculum Vitae or CV. The resume must be drafted in a very well manner in order to crack the interview. This is because a resume leaves the first impression over the recruiter. if the resume is not presented in a good manner or if it is written very badly, there is a high chance that one may find trouble during the interview or for getting the job that one is seeking. There are many free modern resume templates available, to help you get started and draft a standard resume for yourself. 

It is, thus, very important to give the required time for the drafting of a resume. However, it can be difficult to figure out what is to be put in the resume when one is applying for the job.

There should be a concise yet comprehensive insight regarding the professional as well as personal strengths of the one who is preparing the resume. For the purpose of writing a resume, there are a lot of resumes formats that are available from which one can choose.

These formats include targeted resumes, functional resumes, chronological resumes and many more. Regardless of any of the types of resumes, one may choose to form, there is a set of guidelines that one is required to follow for this purpose.

Guidelines for a Resume

Resume Length

One must make a resume as concise as one can. The maximum length for a resume ideally should not exceed two pages. However, it is preferred to have a resume for one page. For a candidate who is applying for entry-level, the resume must not exceed one page while a candidate who is making an application for some post requiring experience, the resume must not be more than two pages.

Size and Font

One must not be inclined towards using ornate fonts that are very difficult to read. Fonts like Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial or any other font that is similar to the above-mentioned fonts are considered to be the best for use while drafting the resume.

The font size that should be used for the resume must not increase by 12 points and decrease by 10 points. However, the name of the candidate as well as the headings of various sections in the resume can be a font that is bold or a little bit larger.

Margins

The format of the standard margin that should be used in the pages of Microsoft Word is 1" margin on all four sides of the page i.e. right, left, bottom as well as top sides of the page. However, if one wants to reduce the length of the resume by tightening the margins, one can reduce the margin of the pages from 1" to ½" on two sides of the page i.e. bottom as well as the top side of the page.

Layout

After coming on a conclusion of what all sections have to be mentioned in the resume, one must be sure that all the sections have to be kept uniform.

For instance, if the heading of one of the sections is put in italics, then the heading of all the other sections has to be put in italics only. However, if one has bolded the title of the job, then all the titles have to be bolded. There is a requirement for uniformity in the resume.

Here's a Draft Resume: Click to Download (TO BE ADDED)

Information that is to be avoided

One must not include personal information, for instance, height, birthday, children, marital status, weight and other related information in the resume. However, if the company has specifically asked for such information, then it becomes mandatory for the candidate to provide all the information that is required.

Accuracy

One must vet the resume very carefully before forwarding it somewhere. Check names of companies, grammar, spelling, tenses, names of people and so on. One can even consult any friend or counsellor of career services to get the resume checked.

Guidelines for a Perfect Resume

Identification

One must include his/ her name, telephone number, address as well as and email address at the top of the resume in the identification section. This information forms the basic and important part of the resume. One must be adamant about using a professional email address instead of using some funky address.

Objective

If one wants to include an objective for the resume, one must keep it specific as well as concise. The objective must include the job or field one is desiring to seek, all things one is hoping in order to fulfil the goals in that field and so on. However, this section of the objective is not mandatory i.e. optional.

Profile

Another section which is optional in nature is the profile of the resume. The profile is inclusive of a summary of the experiences, skills as well as goals. All of these should be written in a specific manner for the job posting.

Education

This section gives a complete insight into the education that one has pursued. It is inclusive of all the degrees that one has received and all the degrees have to be represented in a chronological manner i.e. the degree which is most recent has to be represented first.

One must not forget the name of each of the institutions, the location of the institutions and the date of graduation. It also includes the major or minor fields along with the GPA, projects, publications, honours and so on.

Experience

This is another important section in the resume. It is inclusive of the work experience in the reverse chronological manner i.e. the most recent experience has to be listed first. In addition to it, this section includes volunteer work, internships as well as jobs.

The students of high school must include the sports team and the clubs they have participated in their resume. The name of the company, dates of employment as well as the position of employment should be mentioned in this section of the resume.

In addition to it, one must provide an insight into the work done by him/ her in that company in the form of bullet points. All the achievements must be described in the active voice form of the verb and the use of passive phrases should be avoided as much as possible.

Moots

Moots play a very important role in the life of a law student. They help to secure good positions as mooting gives a lot of experience with regard to research, drafting and pleadings. Moots in the resume of any law student undoubtedly give him/ her an upper edge over various other law students Applying for the same position.

Publication

Another important section is publications. In this section, a law student is expected to jot down all the research papers, which he got published in his name. The more research papers in the resume, the more experience in research are being shown. And Researching skills are another important aspect which firms are targeting at.

Skills

This section is completely optional. It includes all the computer systems in which one is proficient and especially if such skills are in relation to the position that one is applying for. It may also include any foreign language to which one is familiar.

One must not forget to state the language as well the level of familiarity i.e. fluent, proficient, intermediate or beginner. One can even list any other skill that one possesses and is in relation to the resume.

Hobbies and Interest

One can even include another section representing all the hobbies and interests that are in relation to the position that one is applying for.

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