Resume Tips: How to Write a Resume That Gets You Shortlisted

Your resume has one job: to get you a call. It does not need to tell your whole life story. It needs to show, quickly, that you can do the work in the job post. The good news is that a strong resume is mostly about being clear and specific — not about fancy words or design.

Start with the job post, not with yourself

Before you write anything, read the job post twice. Note the skills, tools and duties it mentions. Those are the words the employer will look for. If you have done that work, make sure your resume says so in the same plain words. (The examples below are only illustrations of the style — always use your own real details.)

• If the post asks for Tally and GST filing, write "Prepared GST returns in Tally for 40+ clients" — not "Handled accounts".
• If it asks for two-wheeler and licence, put that near the top for a delivery or field role.
• If you don't have a skill they ask for, don't pretend. Show the closest thing you have, and say you are learning.

The sections that matter

1. Name and contact — your name, mobile number, e-mail and city. No need for your full address, father's name or a photo of your ID.
2. A two-line summary — who you are and what you are looking for: "Commerce graduate with 2 years in accounts and billing, looking for an accountant role in Lucknow."
3. Skills — 6 to 12 skills that match the jobs you want. Put the most important first.
4. Experience — newest job first. For each job: title, company, city, months and years, and 2–4 lines on what you did.
5. Education — your highest qualification first, with the year.
6. Extras — certifications, languages, projects, internships, or a driving licence — only what helps for the job.

Write what you achieved, not only what you were "responsible for"

Compare these two lines:

• "Responsible for sales in the assigned area."
• "Visited 25–30 shops a day and added 60 new retailers in six months."

The second line gives the employer a picture. Use numbers you actually know — customers handled, calls made, invoices processed, students taught — and never invent them. An interviewer may ask you about every line.

Freshers: you have more to show than you think

If you have no job experience yet, use the space for what you have done:

• College or school projects, with what you built or found.
• Internships, apprenticeships, part-time or family-business work.
• Skills you learned on your own — Excel, typing speed, a language, a course certificate.
• Responsibilities: class representative, event volunteer, sports team captain.

Keep it clean and short

• One page is enough for most freshers; two pages for long experience.
• Use one simple font, clear headings and enough white space. Avoid tables that break when the file is opened on a phone.
• Save and send it as a PDF so it looks the same everywhere.
• Check spelling, dates and your phone number twice. A wrong number can cost you an interview.

Use your Job Samadhan profile

On Job Samadhan your profile builds your resume automatically. Fill in your experience, education and skills once, choose one of five A4 designs on the Resume page, and download it as a PDF. When you apply, the employer sees your profile and resume together — so keeping your profile complete is the easiest way to keep your resume up to date.