CV, Resume & Bio-data

CV, Resume & Bio-data

DR. G M DINESHASSISTANT PROFESSOR

GOVERNMENT FIRST GRADE COLLEGEDAVANAGERE

Resume

Resume is a French word meaning “summary”. A resume is ideally a summary of one’s education, skills and employment when applying for a new job. A resume does not list out all details of a profile, but only some specific skills customized to the target job profile.

It thus, is usually 1 or at the max 2 pages long. A resume is usually written in the third person to give it an objective and formal tone.

Structure of resumeA good resume would start with a

Brief Profile of the candidate, Summary of Qualifications, Industry Expertise Professional Experience in reverse chronological

order. Focus is on the most recent experiences (with responsibilities

and accomplishments), and previous experiences are only presented as a summary. This would be fol lowed by Education details and/or Professional Affiliations and/or Voluntary Initiatives.

Resume Do’s!

Contain an Objective Statement Customizable for each job Pleasing to the Eye, Easy to Read! Lists skills, employers want to know what you can

bring to their company. Relevant to the Job. It should fit with the job you

are applying for.

Do’s Continued

• Keep your resume to 1-2 pages• List education and work experience in reverse

chronological order• Put your resume, cover letter, and references on

professional style resume paper• Edit• Have your resume critiqued by a Career Service

professional or employer• Make it relevant and focus on

skills/accomplishments

Resume Don'ts!

• Grammatical and spelling errors• Unprofessional (check your email address)• Too much info (overly wordy)• Irrelevant information• No objective statement• Lengthy paragraphs• Personal information• Leave a large amount of white space

C.V. – CURRICULUM VITAE

What is a CV? In its full form, CV stands for curriculum vitae, Curriculum

Vitae is a Latin word meaning “course of life”. It is more detailed than a resume, generally 2 to 3 pages, or even longer as per the requirement.

A C.V. lists out every skill, all the jobs and positions held, degrees, professional affil iations the applicant has acquired, and in chronological order.

A C.V. is used to highlight the general talent of the candidate rather than specific skills for a specific position.

BIO-DATA Bio Data is the short form for Biographical Data and is an

ancient terminology for Resume or C.V. In a bio-data, the focus is on personal particulars like

date of birth, gender, religion, nationality, residence, marital status, and the like. A chronological listing of education and experience

comes after that.

To summarize – A resume would be ideally suited when experience people

apply for specific positions where certain specific skills are more important than education.

– A C.V., on the other hand should be the preferred option for fresh graduates or people looking for a career change. It could also be used by people applying for academic positions.

– The term bio-data is mostly used in India when people apply for government jobs, or for research grants where one has to submit descriptive essays. Bio Datas are not common in the international markets where personal information like age, gender , re l ig ion are not requi red to be submit ted by candidates.

Formatting Tips for Your Curriculum Vitae

While a resume is typically only a page or two in length, a CV is more detailed and therefore longer, often containing more information about academic achievements than a resume. CVs vary depending on your field and experience, but there are a number of general format and style guidelines you can follow when creating a CV. There are also certain sections most people include in their CVs.

Learn how to format your curriculum vitae and what to include.

Contents: A CV sample better than 9 out of 10 other CVs. How to write a curriculum vitae even if you have

no experience. Tips and examples of how to put ski l ls and

achievements on a perfect CV. How to describe your experience on a CV to get

any job you want.


CHOOSE CLEAR, LEGIBLE FONTS Go for one of the standard CV typefaces: Arial, Tahoma,

or Helvetica if you prefer sans-serif fonts, and Times New Roman or Bookman Old Style if serif fonts are your usual pick.

Use 11 to 12 pt font size and single spacing. For your name and section titles, pick 14 to 16 pt font size.


BE CONSISTENT WITH YOUR CV LAYOUT Set one-inch margins for all four sides.

Make sure your CV headings are uniform—make them larger and in bold but go easy on italics and underlining.

Stick to a single dates format on your CV: for example 11-2017, or November 2017.


DON’T CRAM YOUR CV WITH GIMMICKY GRAPHICS Less is more. White space is your friend—recruiters need some breathing

room! Plus, most of the time, after you send out your CV, it’s going to

be printed in black ink on white paper. Too many graphics might make it illegible.

GET PHOTOS OFF OF YOUR CV Unless you’re explicitly asked to include your photograph in the

job ad. If so—make sure to use a professional looking picture, but not as

stiff as an ID photo.


MAKE YOUR CV BRIEF AND RELEVANT Don’t be one of those candidates stuck in the

nineties who think they have to include every single detail about their lives on their CVs.

Hiring, nowadays, is one hell of a hectic business. Nobody’s got the time to care for what high school you’ve attended or to read 10+ bullet point descriptions of past jobs. We’ll get to that later on.



Curriculum Vitae Format ExampleYour Contact InformationNameAddressTelephoneCell PhoneEmail


Optional Personal InformationThis information is not included for U.S. CVs. It may be requested in other countries.

Date of Birth Place of Birth Citizenship Visa Status Gender Marital Status Spouse's Name Children


§ Employment HistoryList in chronological order, include position details and dates.

§ Work History§ Academic Positions§ Research and Training


EducationInclude dates, majors, and details of degrees, training and certification

Post-Doctoral TrainingGraduate SchoolUniversityHigh School (Depending on country)


Professional QualificationsCertifications and AccreditationsComputer SkillsAwardsPublicationsBooksProfessional MembershipsInterests

Extracurricular Activities

How to Write a Cover Letter Write a Fresh Cover Letter for Each Position Yes, it’s way faster and easier to take the cover letter you wrote

for your last application, change the name of the company, and send it off. But most employers want to see that you’re truly excited about the specific position and company—which means creating a custom letter for each position you apply for.

While it’s OK to recycle a few strong sentences and phrases from one cover letter to the next, don’t even think about sending out a 100% generic letter. “Dear Hiring Manager, I am excited to apply to the open position at your company” is an immediate signal to recruiters and hiring managers that you’re resume-bombing every job listing in town. Mistakes like this can get your application tossed straight in the trash.

Tips to Write a Cover Letter1. GO BEYOND YOUR RESUME A super common pitfall many job seekers fall into is to use their

cover letter to regurgitate what’s on their resume. Don’t simply repeat yourself: “I was in charge of identifying and re-engaging former clients.” Instead, expand on those bullet points to paint a fuller picture of your experiences and accomplishments, and show off why you’d be perfect for the job and the company.

What approach did you take to tackling one of the responsibilities you’ve mentioned on your resume?

What details would you include if you were telling someone a (very short!) story about how you accomplished that bullet point?

What about your personality, passion, or work ethic made you especially good at getting the job done?

2. THINK NOT WHAT THE COMPANY CAN DO FOR YOU Another common cover letter mistake? Talking about how

great the position would be for you and your resume. Frankly, hiring managers are aware of that—what they really want to know is what you’re going to bring to the position and company.

3. HIGHLIGHT THE RIGHT EXPERIENCES Not sure what skills and experiences you should be featuring?

Typically the most important requirements for the position will be listed first in the job description, or mentioned more than once. You’ll want to make sure you describe how you can deliver on those key priorities.

Tips to Write a Cover Letter

4. SHOWCASE YOUR SKILLS When you know you have the potential to do the job—

but your past experience doesn’t straightforwardly sell you as the perfect person for the position—try focusing on your skills instead.

5.…NOT NECESSARILY YOUR EDUCATION New grads, especially, often make the mistake of over-

focusing on their educational backgrounds. At the end of the day, what hiring managers care about most is your work experience.


6. Don’t Apologize for Your Missing Experience When you don’t meet all of the job requirements, it’s tempting to use lines

like, “Despite my limited experience as a manager…” or “While I may not have direct experience in marketing…” But why apologize? Instead of drawing attention to your weaknesses, emphasize the strengths and transferable skills you do have.

7. Throw in a Few Numbers Hiring managers love to see stats—they show you’ve had a measurable

impact on an organization or company you’ve worked for. That doesn’t mean you have to have doubled revenue at your last job. Did you bring in more clients than any of your peers? Put together an impressive number of events? Made a process at work 30% more efficient? Those numbers speak volumes about what you could bring to your next position, and make your cover letter stand out.


8. CONSIDER TESTIMONIALS Used sparingly, great feedback from former co-workers,

managers, or clients can go a long way toward illustrating your passion or skills.

9. BE OPEN TO OTHER FORMATS If you’re applying to a more traditional company, then the tried-

and-true three-to-five-paragraph format probably makes sense. However, if you’re gunning for a more creative or startup job—or need to explain to the hiring manager, say, how your career has taken you from teaching to business development—a different approach could be appropriate.


10. KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET There are always exceptions to the rule, but in general, for

resumes and cover letters alike, don’t go over a page. In one survey, more than two-thirds of employers said they preferred a cover letter that’s either just half a page (around 250 words) or “the shorter the better.”

11. FINISH STRONG your closing paragraph is your last chance to emphasize

your enthusiasm for the company or how you’d be a great fit for the position.

For example, you could say: “I’m passionate about [Company]’s mission and would love to bring my [add your awesome skills here] to this position.”


12. EDIT We shouldn’t have to tell you to run your cover letter

through spell-check, but remember that having your computer scan for typos isn’t the same as editing. Set your letter aside for a day or even a few hours, and then read through it again with fresh eyes—you’ll probably notice some changes you want to make. You might even want to ask a friend or family member to give it a look.

Remember, one spelling or grammar mistake can be all it takes to turn off the hiring manager—especially if writing skills are an important part of the role you’re applying for.


Thank you…

CV, Resume & Bio-data

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