How to write a good resume - Complete Guidance

• Focus On Education: Place your education section at the top. Include your school name, degree, graduation date and relevant coursework.
• Highlight Relevant Experience: Include internships, part-time jobs, voluenteer work and extracurricular activities. Include social activities, if any.
• Emphasize Skills: List both hard skills, such as programming languages, software proficieny, etc and soft skills, such as communication skills, teamwork, leadership skills, etc. Customize these skills as per the job you are applying for.
• Use a Simple Format: Keep your resume clean and easy to read. Use standard font and clear headings. Avoid overly decorative designs. Remember, its a professional document, not an artwork or a document for marketing purpose!
• Add Certifications and Awards: If you have any certifications, such as any courses attended, or awards such as any medals, trophy, include them to showcase your achievements.
• Keep it concise: Aim for a one-page resume. Be concise, to the point and prioritize the most relevant information. Don't miss out any detail but don't make it too big. Try to balance it.
• Use Action Verbs: Start bullet points with strong action verbs like `developed', `led', `organized', `volunteered', `collaborated', etc to convey the impact.
• Use Professional Email: Make sure that your email address is professional. Ideally, use a combination of your first and last name. You may also use your institute email id.
• Add Social Media or Portfolio Links: If you have a LinkedIn profile or any website of your own, include those links to showcase your work or professional presence.
• Add Professional Membership Details: If you have any professional membership, such as IEEE Membership, AIChE Membership or any such academic membership, you may include those.

Why does your resume get rejected - Practical Reasons

Resume rejection usually happens for a combination of screening issues, content problems, and position mismatch. Companies often use both recruiters and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to filter resumes before a hiring manager even sees them.

• Resume is not tailored to the job
  • A generic resume doesn't match the keywords, skills, or responsibilities in the job description.
  • For example, if the job description says `Skills including Wastewater Treatment, Water Electrolysis and Hydrogen Production Methods' and you write, `Worked on various research projects', it does not specifically point out that you have worked on these research projects.
  • So you instead write the names of projects or at least mention research work on water treatment projects.
  • ATS and recruiters may assume you lack the required skills.
• ATS (Applicant Tracking System) cannot parse the resume due to formatting issues
• Lack of measurable achievements
• Length - Resume is too short or too long
• Poor Readibility
• Spelling and grammar mistakes
• Weak professional summary
• Missing relevant skills
• Employment gaps are unexplained
• Applying for roles that don't match your profile
• Resume lacks projects or portfolio evidence
• Too many buzzwords or generic claims