Ok, so we are at an exciting yet an important junction, where we actually start writing
a resume.
So, the question arises, “What should you start writing?” and “Where should you
start writing”?
Let’s cover these details in this video.
Every resume should start with a very important piece of “identifier” information.
What is this “identifier”?
Simply put, it is the information that covers the basic details about you.
All of these details should always appear in the header area of all the pages in the
document.
The contents of these basic details are:
• Your Name • Your Location
• Your Phone number or Mobile number • Your Email address
• Your Website (optional)
These details are collectively referred to as your “Contact information”.
Let’s now understand the importance of each of these details and see how to include your
contact information on your resume.
Let’s start with your Name
Your name is the most basic and the most important detail that makes your resume unique, because
you are unique.
Up until your resume is shortlisted and you are invited for an interview, employers implicitly
consider your name as the face of your resume.
Employers use your name to identify your resume, from the bunch.
If you have a name that is easy to pronounce, you can write down your complete name, without
abbreviating it.
Additionally, in some situations, some job offerings may be made to a specific gender,
so you might want to include your full name.
If you have a unisex name or a name that can be easily misunderstood to belong to the opposite
gender, then make sure to include your full name.
Let us consider an example.
For a job posting that is specifically seeking a male security guard for a warehouse at night,
make sure you write down your complete name so that your name conveys your gender.
For example, if your name is “Sandy Davidson” and applying for the role of a male security
guard, then make sure you list your complete name on the resume as “Sandy Davidson”,
rather than “Sandy D.” because the name “Sandy” may also refer to a female and
writing your full name will help avoid confusion to your employer.
If you have a name that is difficult to pronounce, then I suggest abbreviating it by using your
initials, rather than specifying full name.
For example, if your name is “Alex Kinhanna”, then you may abbreviate your name as Alex
K.
Your Location
The location is the next important basic factor.
Employers in general, tend to prefer candidates who are local to the place of work so that
the entire process of recruiting and employment becomes easy for both the candidate and the
employer.
In some other cases, employers are open to candidates from non-local places as long as
the candidate is able to commute to the place of work or is able to relocate for work.
In any case, it would be a huge time saver for both you and the prospective employer
if you indicate your location on the resume.
Listing the location also helps you in indicating to the employer whether you want to work in
a local region or if you are willing to relocate.
So, make sure that you include the location in your resume.
You do not need to include your complete address.
Rather, you just include the city and the state.
For example, if you are a resident of the city of San Antonio and the state of Texas,
then you can list the location on your resume as San Antonio, Texas.
Your Phone Number or Mobile Number
Without a doubt, your Mobile Number is the most important way a future employer would
like to get in touch with you, should they feel that you are the right candidate for
the job.
So, make sure that you list your mobile number and double check or even triple check the
number to ensure that you have written down the correct and the complete contact number.
You can perform a spell check for typos and even fix grammar mistakes in a Word document,
but if you end up writing an incorrect or incomplete mobile number, this can go undetected
and may cause hardships for a prospective employer to reach you.
So, make sure you write down the correct contact number and verify the digits that you have
written.
Your mobile number can contain hyphens and periods or dots, but the most commonly used
separator is the hyphen or the dash symbol.
Let us look at few examples of the correct ways of writing a Mobile number in your resume.
If you are a resident of the USA and applying for a job listing in the USA, then you may
list your phone number as: 361-119-5432
If you are a resident of the USA and applying for a job listing outside of USA, then you
may list your phone number as: +1-361-119-5432.
Here, “+1” refers to the country code of USA.
If you are a resident of India and applying for a job listing within India, then you may
list your phone number as: 9848123456
If you are a resident of India and applying for a job listing outside of India, then you
may list your phone number as: 456.
Here, “+91” refers to the country code of India.
Importance of specifying a Mobile number in your resume
If you have the option of choosing between specifying a “Mobile number” or a “Landline
phone number” in your resume and if you want to increase your chances of getting hired
for a job role, make sure that you always list your “Mobile phone” number on your
resume and not a “Landline phone” number.
Mentioning a Mobile phone number ensures that if a prospective employer decides to call
you, they have a much greater chance of reaching you.
If you supply a landline phone number and unavailable to receive the employer’s phone
call, then you may miss out on establishing a successful first contact with the employer.
If an employer is unable to reach you multiple times, they might simply move on to find a
candidate with a better response.
So, to secure the job, make sure that you indicate your mobile number and be prepared
to receive and answer an employer’s phone call during the normal working hours.
Avoid Caller tunes in your Mobile
If you are serious about job hunting and want to create a positive impression on prospective
employers, avoid using caller tunes in your mobile, at least till you secure a job.
Using caller tunes may or may not create a positive feeling towards you based on the
caller tune played.
So, it would be best to avoid any sort of caller tune to look professional until you
have secured a job.
Record a proper Voicemail message
If you do not have a Voicemail service on your mobile, it would help you to subscribe
for a voicemail service, at least till the time you secure a job.
Once you have the voicemail service activated on your mobile, make sure you leave a professional
message in your own voice so that prospective employers are notified professionally about
your absence and provides them a way to reach you, in your absence.
When recording your voicemail message, make sure you mention your name and record your
message in a professional tone to create a positive impression on your future employer
and increase your chances of getting hired.
Also, make sure you check the voicemail messages frequently to ensure you have not missed any
messages and delete old voicemail messages to make space for new ones.
You do not want to miss out on any important messages from your future employer.
Your Email address
Your email address is the last, but not the least important basic detail in your resume.
When mentioning your email, make sure you follow certain guidelines such as:
Use a Professional email –
• Ensure that your email looks professional and use something that is close to your name.
• You may use middle name and last name as well.
• You may also use symbols underscores, dashes, period, numbers or digits.
• Also, a professional email conveys your seriousness, so make sure you create a professional
and short email address.
Avoid these: • Avoid using nicknames.
• Avoid using any slang and any words that might seem offensive to others.
An email that contains slang may be cool to share among friends, but it definitely NOT
recommended when applying for professional jobs.
Some examples of good emails are:
sam.john@gmail.com
alex_k2019@gmail.com
pro-arnold@gmail.com
Avoid Typos –
Make sure that you avoid typos in your email.
Even a single incorrect letter or a number can bounce of your prospective employer’s
email and this can affect your employer’s mood or reaction in a negative way.
Employers are willing to work with candidates who are attentive, responsible and take the
initiative in doing things the right way.
Specifying contact details correctly from the start helps in ensuring that an employer
finds it relatively easy to contact you and increases your chances of making a positive
impression on the employer and thus, getting hired for the job role.
Disable Hyperlinks –
Make sure you disable any hyperlinks in the email address.
This should be done so that any symbols, such as an “underscore”, are easily visible
and the email can be easily selected and copied to an email application.
Your Website
Mentioning a website is totally optional and you are not required to have one.
However, it would give a prospective employer a chance to review your work prior to reaching
you, if you do share the link to your portfolio.
So, this can increase your chances of getting hired, if your portfolio makes a positive
impression.
Just make sure that your website or portfolio is up and running and you have updated it
with the latest info.
To summarize, your basic details consists of your contact information.
Make sure to include your contact information in the header area of all pages of your resume.
In a later video, we will see how to format and include contact information in your resume
for best visual appeal.
Now that you understand the importance of each of the basic details of a resume, go
ahead and jumpstart creating a new resume after making sure that the details you are
about to supply, conforms to the professional standards that we just saw.
That’s all for now, see you in the next video.