Create an impeccable CV / Resume

The primary objective of your Resume should be, to show your potential employer why you are the best person for this job. Your CV is the first thing that your employers see about you. We could say that your CV creates your first impression in an interview. If the interviewer is unimpressed by your CV, or there is any kind of silly or even grammatical mistakes in your CV, then the interviewer’s perception about you could be affected. Also keep in mind that even small things could point to the bigger picture of your personality. If a person is shows irresponsibility in creating his CV, then the interviewer could conclude that this person may also be negligent in his job and hence could not be trusted with responsibility.

Another important factor to create a good CV is that majority of companies select their candidates for the interview based on their CV. And if you are not even selected for the interview then your all the other qualities won’t matter and you’ll never be able to get that job.

Here are some important tips that you should keep in mind before creating your CV:

Your CV should look professional.

Instead of using big paragraphs use bullet points. The interviewer would find that easy to read and understand.

There should be absolutely no spelling mistakes or grammatical errors in your CV.

If your CV could be made in two pages then don’t unnecessarily lengthen it to fill more pages. Keep it short and simple.

Make minor changes in your CV for different job interviews. Mention only those qualities and qualifications that suit that job. 

Try to highlight those points that are related to the job.

After making the CV ask the opinion about it from some people, who you think may give you good advice to improve it.  

Give special attention to the theoretical knowledge related to the job

Even if you are confident about your knowledge about any particular field, don’t forget to revise some important points about that sector before the interview.

Don’t ignore the theoretical and technical knowledge related to the job. There are many people who have gained experience in a particular field and may know about all the practical aspect related to that job, but they lack the theoretical and technical knowledge to explain it properly. Hence they may not succeed to convey their experience and knowledge about the job during the interview. So don’t make this mistake and never underestimate theoretical knowledge.

Dedicate more time and effort to gain knowledge about the job before the interview. The efforts you do now could make things easy for you in the future. Your confidence will increase and that would reflect in your attitude during the interview. The interviewer would know from your initial responses whether you are a well prepared or a casual candidate. 

Never ever take any interview casually. It is a competition. And you have to prove that you are better than everybody else. You cannot show deficiency in any department. That’s why it is very important to give your full attention to the theoretical knowledge related to that job.

I am not emphasizing about the practical knowledge here because if you are a fresher then practical knowledge related to the job could not be expected from you. And if you are experienced then you will definitely have the practical knowledge.

Think from the Employer’s Perspective

Just change your perspective for a minute and think from the point of view of an interviewer. Think about the qualities that an ideal candidate should have. Try to understand the specific needs that a particular job requires. And try to showcase the qualities in an interview that fulfill those specific needs. On the other hand you could also conceal those qualities that don’t fit the job.

Take for an instance: If you are applying for a job related to marketing then you could highlight your traveling hobbies, but if you want an operations job then you should not highlight this hobby. You can make changes in your CV according to any particular job requirements. And hence make it more effective.

Generally an interviewer wants to check your confidence level, subject knowledge, stability and your ability to work in a team.

Sometimes it may happen that you are overqualified for a job, for example, if they are hiring for a computer operator job and a candidate comes in with a MCA degree, to give the interview. In this case the employer would hesitate to hire that person because there is a good possibility that he may leave the company the minute he gets a better job offer. That’s why if you are overqualified according to the job requirement, then you probably should not mention that in your CV.

In this way when you see from the perspective of an employer then you could prepare yourself better and follow what the job requires from you.

Run the Interview Process Many Times in your Mind

Walk through the complete interview process in your mind at least 3 to 4 times. Make it as detailed as possible.

Start with waking up in the morning up to the point where you come out of the interview room. Think about all the small things that you would do during this time. By doing this mental exercise you get a clear picture, like when you have to wake up, what you have to revise, what you have to wear, how and when you have to reach there, how your body language should be and how you would introduce yourself, etc.

The most important thing is to visualize yourself interacting with the interviewer. Think how the interviewer would frame the questions and then come up with the best answer for that question. When you do this exercise you might come across some questions that you find difficult to answer. Now you can better prepare those answers that you find difficult.

This technique is a really effective tool to find your weak points and then improving them. It also ensures that you don’t make any blunders during an interview.

Give Mock Interviews

Another useful exercise is to give mock interviews to your friends and family members. If possible video record these mock interviews to analyze later. It would help you to study your body language and improve your gestures, if required. If you are a fresher and don’t have any experience to give interviews, then you should definitely give mock interviews. You could request your senior or friend, who could give you good feedback, to conduct your mock interview. Don’t take this activity lightly. Think of it as a real interview because it could teach you a lot. Generally we are blind towards our mistakes and body language but anyone else could easily point them out to you. So take the feedback seriously.

Be careful that you don’t lose your confidence due to this activity. Here it becomes important for the person taking the mock interview that he point out the areas where you require improvement but also increases your confidence by encouraging you. If you think that you could lose your confidence due to this activity, then it is best to avoid it. Instead you stand in front of the mirror and give a mock interview to yourself. If possible record it on mobile. When you hear your answers then you yourself would find the areas that require improvement.

Pay Attention to Non-Verbal Communication

When we want to convey our thoughts to a person we communicate in two ways; verbally and non-verbally.

Verbally means what we speak or write and non-verbally means our body language, our tone, eye contact and our dressing sense. According to many researches our total communication consists of 20% verbal and the rest 80% non-verbal communication.

That’s why it is important to focus on this 80%. When you are interacting with the interviewer, keep these points in mind:

• You should behave in such a way that shows that you are genuinely interested in this job. For this you have to dress up well and arrive in time on the venue.
• Your voice should not be dull. It should show your enthusiasm and confidence.
• Keep a smile on your face when you first meet the interviewer. Also show friendly gestures during the interview.
• Your preparation would reflect your enthusiasm about the job. That’s why properly do your homework before giving the interview. You should know about the company and its history. You should also be up-to-date about the current developments in the related field.

Don’t Give Contradictory Answers

In order to check your honesty, the interviewer may ask a few questions whose answers are related to each other.

For example: if you have already stated that this is your dream company, but when he asks about the products and services of the company and you cannot give a proper response, then you are conveying a message that on one hand it is your dream company, but on the other hand you don’t even have the basic knowledge about the company. This ultimately proves that you are not being honest in giving your responses.

Or consider this that you have written ‘playing cricket’ as your hobby in your CV, but you say ‘playing chess’ as your hobby during the interview, then this will definitely create doubt about you in the mind of the interviewer.

It’s best to tell the truth during an interview. But if you misspoke due to nervousness or excitement, then don’t change your response. Never contradict that during the whole interview.

Give the Interview in that Language in which you are Comfortable

If you are fluent in both Hindi and English then you can skip this point. But if you are not comfortable in English then this is important for you.

Generally all the job interviews are conducted in English today. But in many places where they could give the interview in Hindi, there some people try to use English. It’s better to speak in Hindi than displaying a poor English language skill.

If the job requires you to speak English, like an international call center, then you have to speak in English. But if the job doesn’t require you to speak fluent English then it is best to stick with Hindi. In fact you could ask the interviewer whether you can answer the questions in Hindi. In most cases you will get an affirmative response. You could also give your interview in Hindi and English. Actually many job requires you to have a proper knowledge about the English language, i.e. you could read, write and understand English. You don’t have to be fluent in speaking English and the interviewer understands this.

The biggest advantage of doing this is that you could express yourself more effectively and you could also show your knowledge related to that field with confidence and in an impressive manner. When you show confidence and knowledge then your chances to succeed would increase.

Don’t Brood Over the Results

Last but not the least; don’t be over conscious about your selection in an interview. If you are not selected, then don’t brood over it. After few months you may not even remember about this interview. Keep a positive attitude. May be you’ll get an even better job than this one.

Some Dos and Don’ts

 Before the Interview:

•           Avoid any strong smelling perfume or deo.
•           Switch off your mobile before going in the interview room.
• Carefully read the job advertisement. You could get an idea about the questions that could be asked in an interview.
• Carefully read the Company website.
• Reach at least 30 minute earlier on the venue. This could help to reduce your nervousness.

During the Interview:

• Try to make eye contact with every panel member instead of staring at only one person.
• Listen to all the questions carefully and answer only when the question is completed. Don’t interrupt.
• If you don’t know anything about a question, then say that you don’t know the answer. Accept it, instead of trying to make up imaginary answers.
• Never disrespect your previous employer or boss.
• Don’t eat chewing gum or candy during the interview.
• Don’t smoke or drink before the interview.
• If you didn’t understand the question, politely ask to repeat it.
• Don’t give unnecessarily long answers.
• Keep a confident body language.
• Never challenge the knowledge of the interviewer.
• Don’t show that you are very desperate for this job.
• If you have a good sense of humor, then use it to lighten the mood.
• Don’t forget to thank the panel in the end.

After the Interview:

• Ensure that you have contact details to follow up later.
• If you don’t get any response within few days, then follow up.
• Even if you are not selected, thank the contact person for the interview.