10 Tips to write an Effective Resume for Engineers

1.Keep it short.The Effective resume is preferably one page,two at the most.If you've written a novel,tear it apart and whittle it down to one or two pages.

2.It must be easy to read.That means the effective resume is well organized with clear headings,brief statements of responsibility,bulleted points for emphasizing achievements.

3.It must avoid overly specific professional jargon.Keep in mind that your resume is likely to be read first by someone in the HR department who may not have a clue as to what you're talking about. Take care to craft a resume with universal appeal so as to at least get to the starting gate.

4.Curb your design enthusiasm.That means limiting your font selection to one or two.Use the traditional and popular Times New Roman if you prefer lettering with a serif,or consider Arial,Helvetica or Verdana if you prefer san serif fonts,lacking the slight projection finishing off a stroke of a letter.Go easy on the bold and the underlining. Limit your paper selection to white or beige.

5.The Effective resume is tailored for a specific position.Granted,that may mean cranking out slight variations of your resume every day of the week to target different job postings.Nobody said a job search was a walk in the park.

6.Portray yourself as a problem solver.

7.Quantify your accomplishments with hard numbers whenever possible.

8.Don't mention your expected salary on the resume.

9.Don't mention too much personal information,like whether or not you have kids,how many kids you have,whether or not your hobbies include golf or listening for extra-terrestrials with the modified ham radio contraption in your garage.Especially that last one.

10.Check,Check,Check for misspellings.Don't ever,ever,ever submit a resume or post it online without doing a spellcheck.In fact,take it a step further and have one or two friends or colleagues proofread the resume for speelling and grammer errors.Do this because an automated spell check program will not know that you erred by using a verb in the present tense when referring to a project in the past tense.None of this may seem that critical to you,but it's critical to the hiring official.

How to Prepare Your Resume for Job Interviews

What is a Resume?

• A Resume is a snapshot of a person's background,achievements,interests,and  track record for a specific employment search.The Resume is typically the first item that a potential employer encounters regarding the job seeker and is typically used  to screen applicants,followed by subsequent selection processes.

• Your resume is like portrait.Certain features which enhance your looks can be added (genuine ones though!) but supporting evidence is required.

• In some regions of the world,the term " resume" is used interchangeably with curriculum vitae(CV) while in other places,the two terms refer to very different documents.A Resume is a standard inclusion with any job or internship application.

• As a general rule, a resume is only one page long,although special circumstances may call for an additional page.

What is the purpose of a Resume?

• The term 'Curriculum Vitae'(CV) is derived from latin and translated means "the way your life has run".In simple terms,a CV is a personal statement outlining your life from an educational and professional point of view.

• The idea of a CV is to get you an interview i.e., your foot in the door,not to get you the job.Your CV should reflect your occupational and educational life and be relevant to the position you are applying for.Think of it as a personal marketing platform to sell yourself to a prospective employer.

Implications of a well written resume:

• A Good resume projects you as a person of some standards with good writing skills.A great resume is a marketing brochure.

• This resume highlights the scope and depth of your knowledge.It describes the skills you have developed till date that relates to your employer's needs.A great resume communicates a compelling reason for the prospective employer to need and want  your services.It is nothing but a self-advertisement.It doesn't just tell the potential employer about you but also makes the same assertion that all good ads do.

• IF you buy this product,you will get these specific,direct benefits.Similarly,if you hire me,you will get these objectives fulfilled.

• While preparing your resume,bear in mind that potential employers will only spend a mere 30-60 seconds reading your life history.So, it is essential that it captures the interest of the recruiter within the 30 seconds in which he needs to understand you and view you as a potential for his company. Remember,1 resume gets selected out of 10 resumes and That 1 should be yours. Pay attention to the content,format and structure.Otherwise,your resume will find the trash bin! :( Initial Screeners do not segregate resumes based on details.They merely go by the key words - so choose them carefully.