What constitutes a 1pg resume

I read this at the ISB yahoo-groups.Ramki, a student of ISB 2004 has provided some superb inputs on what to write in ur resume.....(This isn't copyright violation....Itz a database of information!)

A one page resume is all about trade offs. I know we all are tempted to put in every little detail, but put yourself in a third person's shoes and look at each and every point in your resume. Critically evaluate each point in terms of how well it is written and whether it conveys anything useful for the person reading it.

Everytime you find something that doesn't not convey anything new to the person reading it, cut it. Even if it was your greatest achievement, a resume is more of a "marketing document" where you put in what the intended reader wants to see.

For example, you may have some amazing java certifications, but whats the use unless I know what difference it made to your work and your company.
Many times, people ask, how do I bring out leadership in my resume, especially when I have not held leadership positions. Holding leadership positions does not convey leadership. I am picking up from a talk given my Dr. Pramath Sinha here at ISB. Leadership is all about how you made a
difference to a situation or a company. Leadership is not, "I was the captain of my college football team". Leadership is, "Led my college football team to its first victory at the university level tournament in 5 years". To demonstrate leadership, often, we make trade offs, compromises, sacrifices and in the process inspire people to perform.

--Write about difficult situations you were in and how you overcame them.
--Write about how your presence and your work brought about a difference.
--Write about the sacrifices, risks or difficult trade offs you made in life.
Such things will interest the person looking for leadership potential.

Quantify as much as possible, like putting numbers on your performance
("among top 5 in 200" or "Saved Rs.500000 by introducing new processes").

--Cut the unnecessary adjectives. Don't seem as if you are praising yourself. Don't put adjectives on your achievements that have been appreciated by others unless you are quoting something. Make everypoint crisp and to the point.

--Organize your resume, according to what the resume reader wants to see.
For ISB, I would put work experience, academic achievements and extra curricular activities in that order. I wudnt waste space in my contact details at all. I would bullet everything I am writing and not write stories but just pick out the important points.

In short, every point in your resume should be a bombshell, conveying something interesting about you. You will have a line or two, here and there with redundant stuff, but otherwise, every point should pack a punch.
All this easier said than done, but at least it should get you thinking on different lines.

Good luck
Ramki


I know where to start from now :)...Round of applause for Ramki !!