1. Keep it Simple & Succinct: Some people write a resume as if the purpose of the document was to land a job. As a result they end up with a really long and boring piece that makes them look like desperate job hunters. The objective of your resume is to land an interview and the interview will land you the job (hopefully!)
   
   
2. Back up your qualities and strengths: Instead of creating a long (and boring) list with all your qualities (e.g., disciplined, creative, problem solver) try to connect them with real life and work experiences. In other words, you need to back these qualities and strengths up; else it will appear that you are just trying to inflate things.
   
   
3. Make sure to use the right keywords: Most companies are already using digital databases to search for candidates. This means that the HR department will run search queries based on specific keywords. If your resume doesn’t have the keywords related to the job you are applying for, you will be out even before the game starts.
   
   
4. Use effective titles: Employers will usually make a judgment about your resume in 5 seconds. Under this time frame the most important aspect will be the titles that you listed on the resume, so make sure they grab the attention. Try to be as descriptive as possible, giving the employer a good idea about the nature of your past work experiences. For example:
   
   Bad title: Accounting
   Good title: Management of A/R and A/P and Recordkeeping
   
   
5. Proofread it twice: It would be difficult to emphasize the importance of proofreading your resume. One small typo and your chances of getting hired could slip. Proofreading it once is not enough, so do it twice, three times or as many as necessary.
   
   
6. Use bullet points: No employer will have the time (or patience) to read long paragraphs of text. Make sure, therefore, to use bullet points and short sentences to describe your experiences, educational background and professional objectives.
   
   
7. Put the most important information first: This point is valid both to the overall order of your resume, as well as to the individual sections. Most of the times your work experience will be the most important part of the resume, so put it at the top. When describing your experiences or skills, list the most important ones first.
   
8. Attention to the typography: First of all make sure that your fonts are big enough. The smaller you should go is 11 points, but 12 is probably safer. Do not use capital letters all over the place; remember that your goal is to communicate a message as fast and as clearly as possible. Arial and Times are good choices.
   
   
9. Explain the benefits of your skills: Merely stating that you can do something will not catch the attention of the employer. If you manage to explain how it will benefit his company, and to connect it to tangible results, then you will greatly improve your chances.
   
   
10. Avoid negativity: Do not include information that might sound negative in the eyes of the employer. This is valid both to your resume and to interviews. You don’t need to include, for instance, things that you hated about your last company.
    
    
11. Achievements instead of responsibilities: Resumes that include a long list of “responsibilities included…” are plain boring, and not efficient in selling yourself. Instead of listing responsibilities, therefore, describe your professional achievements.
    
    
12. No pictures: Unless the employer specifically requested it, you should avoid attaching your picture to the resume.
    
    
13. Use numbers: If you are going to describe your past professional achievements, it would be a good idea to mention them in numbers, if possible.
    
    E.g., you may say that you increased the revenue by Rs.50 Lacs, which is 78%, instead of mentioning that you increased the annual revenues of your division.
    
    
14. One resume for each employer: One of the most common mistakes that people make is to create a standard resume and send it to all the job openings that they can find. Sure it will save you time, but it will also greatly decrease the chances of landing an interview (so in reality it could even represent a waste of time). Tailor your resume for each employer. The same point applies to your cover letters.
    
    
15. Market Yourself: Remember that you are trying to sell yourself. As long as you don’t go over the edge, all the marketing efforts that you can put in your resume (in its content, design, delivery method and so on) will give you an advantage over the other candidates.
    
    
16. Don’t include irrelevant information: Irrelevant information such as your passport no., political affiliation, and religion preference will not help you. In fact it might even hurt your chances of landing an interview. Just skip it.
    
    
17. No lies, please: Seems like a no brainer, but you would be amused to discover the amount of people that lie in their resumes. Even small lies should be avoided. Apart from being wrong, most HR departments do background checks these days, and if you are buster it might ruin your credibility for good.
    
    
18. Keep the salary in mind: The image you will create with your resume must match the salary and responsibility level that you are aiming for.
    
    
19. Get someone else to review your resume: Even if you think your resume is looking kinky, it would be a good idea to get a second and third opinion about it. We usually become blind to our own mistakes or way of reasoning, so another people will be in a good position to evaluate the overall quality of your resume and make appropriate suggestions.
    
    
20. Not more than 2 pages: The ideal length for a resume is a polemic subject. Most employers and recruiting specialists, however, say that it should contain one or two pages at maximum. Just keep in mind that, provided all the necessary information is there, the shorter your resume, the better.
    
    
21. No hobbies: Unless you are 100% sure that some of your hobbies will support you candidacy, avoid mentioning them. You could be proud of your swimming team, but share it with your friends and not with potential employers.
    
    
22. Update your resume regularly: It is a good idea to update your resume on a regular basis. Add all the new information that you think is relevant, as well as courses, training programs and other academic qualifications that you might receive along the way. This is the best way to keep track of everything and to make sure that you will not end up sending an obsolete document to the employer.
    
    
23. No scattered information: Your resume must have a clear focus. If would cause a negative impression if you mentioned that one year you were studying drama, and the next you were working as an accountant. Make sure that all the information you will include will work towards a unified image. Employers like decided people.
    
24. Make the design flow with white space: Do not jam your resume with text. Sure we said that you should make your resume as short and concise as possible, but that refers to the overall amount of information and not to how much text you can pack in a single sheet of paper. White space between the words, lines and paragraphs can improve the legibility of your resume.
    
    
25. Lists all your positions: If you have worked a long time for the same company (over 10 years) it could be a good idea to list all the different positions and roles that you had during this time separately. You probably had different responsibilities and developed different skills on each role, so the employer will like to know it.
    
26. No jargon or slang: It should be common sense, but believe us, it is not. Slang should never be present in a resume. As for technical jargon, do not assume that the employer will know what you are talking about. Even if you are sending your resume to a company in the same segment, the person who will read it for the first time might not have any technical expertise.
    
    
27. Remove your older work experiences: If you have been working for 20 years or more, there is no need to have 2 pages of your resume listing all your work experiences, starting with the job at the local coffee shop at the age of 17! Most experts agree that the last 15 years of your career are enough.
    
    
28. No fancy design details: Do not use a colored background, fancy fonts or images on your resume. You might think that the little flowers will cheer up the document, but other people might just throw it away at the sight.
    
    
29. No pronouns: You resume should not contain the pronouns “I” or “me.” That is how we normally structure sentences, but since your resume is a document about your person, using these pronouns is actually redundant.
    
    
30. Don’t forget the basics: The first thing on your resume should be your name. It should be bold and with a larger font than the rest of the text. Make sure that your contact details are clearly listed. Secondly, both the name and contact details should be included on all the pages of the resume (if you have more than one)

Phone Interviews have become a common tool for screening the candidates, especially where Personal Interviews and Video Conferencing is not possible. Hence, as a job seeker, you must not take the phone interview lightly which is the first phase of the interviewing process.

Just as you would prepare yourself for the face-to-face interview, you should also devote sometime for planning and preparing for the phone interview.

Be Available before time: It’s important that you are ready before the set time, to avoid any last minute rush.

Quiet Space: Please block a room for yourself, where no one will disturb you.

Phone: Use a good Quality Phone to make sure that the Voice is clear. You may choose to use Speaker Phone or Head Phone, so that you can focus on the discussion.

Make sure that the phone battery is properly charged.

Preparation: Keep a pen and paper handy to jot down important information that you may have access to during the phone interview. It will be good idea to have your CV and Job Description handy.

Demeanor: Always adopt a pleasant tone of voice and be attentive. Put the receiver down gently. Never slam the phone.

Communication: Always speak clearly so that the other person can understand what you are saying. Avoid using Slangs.

Listening Skills: If there was ever a time when your good listening skills were needed, this is it. Don't speak out of turn and especially while the interviewer is talking. Listen well to the interviewer and then answer questions clearly and confidently.

Seek Information: The phone interview is often used as a means to analyze and judge the suitability of the candidate as well as know more about them. It also provides the candidate an opportunity to understand what the job entails. Hence, you must also ask questions tat will help you to know more about the prospective job as well as the Co, its policies and your ability to meet these requirements.

1. Checklist Please confirm about the time, date and location of the interview and name of interviewer.
   
   
2. Be on time!
   
   
3. Preparation:- Check out Company’s Website.
   - Get information about their industry.
   - Get information about their Products, Strengths, Challenges and Growth Plans.
   - Go through the Job Description.
   - Write down and practice possible questions!
   
   Employer is interested in you as a person, your experiences and your opinions; do take the time to sit down and think about you, who you are and what you have achieved.
   
   Make notes about your work record and achievements. Make notes and prepare and rehearse sound bites about yourself.
   
   
4. Confidence Your confidence is more important than anything else in your interview. Do things that make you feel good about yourself!
   
   
5. Be Enthusiastic and Positive!
   
   
6. Look Better, Feel Better Make sure that dress professionally, but comfortably.
   
   
7. Carry a spare CV with you!
   
   
8. Make good Eye Contact!
   
   
9. Talk about specific achievements! Think of your proud moments, how you solved problems; how you learned - and improved - from difficult situations.
   
   
10. Explain Why You Left Carefully describe the reason for your departure, and do not go into details unless asked. Provide references to support your reasons for leaving and job performance. Stay with the facts of what happened, what you did, how you felt and what you learned. Then describe how you will handle things differently in the future.
    
    
11. Know What You Offer Prepare answers for open-ended questions, like, "Tell me about yourself," by making a list of your skills and traits that match the employer's requirements. The closer your skills and traits are to the job description, the better chance you have of landing the job. You should leave the interviewer with a clear picture of what you have to offer.
    
12. Prove What You Could Do If you lack a particular skill be sure to emphasize how quickly you learn. Give an example of a time when you were able to get up to speed in a similar situation. Companies are interested in people who can hit the ground running.
    
    
13. Talking Salary Timing is everything in the interview. Let them bring up the subject of money. If you are asked what your salary expectations too early in the process, you can say that you would rather postpone that discussion until you have more information about the position.
    
    
14. Listen
    - Listen through eye contact.
    - Listen with nonverbal expressions.
    - Listen until the speaker is finished.
    - Do not interrupt.
    
15. Ask the power questions
    - What are you looking for in an ideal candidate?
    - What would be my first priorities on the job?
    
    
16. It is OK to be nervous, everyone does!Accept your feelings and try to make your self comfortable. Even if you get rejected, it could also be a job not right for you. In any case, it’s always a learning experience.
    
    
17. Be honest! Be honest with every question. No need to lying about your background and/or skills. If you get caught then you will definitely out.
    
    
18. Check your CV for possible gaps! If there is any gap between your academic then make sure you know how you are going to explain time gaps on your CV.