As many of my readers know, I've switched to being a Recruitment Consultant / Headhunter as some of you know it as for a good 7 months. In these 7 months, minus all the weekends, I look at resumes everyday. Tons of resumes everyday and to my horror/ disappointment...I realised many people do not know how to write a decent resume..Some tips as per below to "beef" up your resume and attract people to it.

1. I'm not too sure if some of the applicants has realised this statement - "Interested applicants, please send your detailed resume with your last drawn salary/current drawn salary, expected salary in MS WORD FORMAT to..."  Well, there must be a reason why recruiters are asking for resumes in WORD FORMAT and if that's what's required, follow the instructions. Don't give your resume in PDF.

2. Photos. Yes that's the next thing I am going to talk about. Especially for front office kind of jobs whereby you meet customers. Front office jobs would include positions like customer service, receptionist, sales etc. Give a decent photo or let me put it PROFESSIONAL. Don't put those "cutie-pie" photos.

3. Your resume should be in chronological order from the most recent job. Ok let me repeat myself - FROM THE MOST RECENT POSITION. Do indicate the duration - MM/YY to MM/YY, designation, to whom you report to and your responsibilities of what you have done. Responsibilities should be stated in bullet/ point form for easy reading instead of writing it in paragraphs. Include your reason for leaving as well and if possible write your achievements in your respective jobs!

4. Give a brief summary of your skills. Ie. If you are good in MS Office, do state it like Word/Excel/ PowerPoint/Access. Or like you are applying for accounting positions, state the accounting system that you have used before - Oracle/ SAP/ Hyperion/ JD Edwards.

5. In addition to Pt 4, another thing you should write about will be like what are the things you are good at. Example would be an Accountant position. Let's say you are an auditor who wants to go into commerical. You can write that you are 1) Well versed in Accounting Standards 2) Reviewed consolidation for eg: no. of entities.. etc

6. Traits and Personality. These will include things like -> Meticulous,  Pro active, Responsible, Excellent team player, Analytical mind etc.

7. Important thing -> Education!! Yes I can't emphasize how important this position this. If you can remember the duration like MM/YY to MM/YY which you did your education it will be Best. If you can't the year of graduation at least! Include the institution which you did your studies at and be clear what's the degree you are pursuing. An example will be: Degree in Commerce - Majoring in xx or Bachelor of Science - Majoring in Banking & Finance. Yes, be sure of what is the degree that you are getting. It will cast doubts on the HR personnel (like what!!! this person don't even know what degree they are pursuing. WTH!!!)

8. Please try to use standard fonts in your resume writing except for headers. Using standard fonts shows consistency. Remember you are writing a professional resume after all. Don't use fancy fonts and do check your alignment. It's a pain when resumes presented are in a MESS.

9. PLEASE!! When you are selected for the interview, do go read up about the company. Go to the website and find out more. It shows you are interested in the Company and in the position on the "plate". Even if its just things which are written on the website, its ok.

Well, that's all about it on how to write a proper/decent resume. So good luck to all of you, job seekers out there!