This article is the first post under the series HOW TO BUILD YOUR RESUME

I’ve compiled a 15-point checklist which I followed while drafting my resume. I got these amazing tips from my seniors who went through the placements phase recently and bagged great jobs.

1. Don’t Put Everything on There!
   
   I saved some so that I can discuss that myself in Personal Interviews. Also, there just isn’t enough space to fit it all. Which brings me to my next point.
   
   

2. Keep it in a page (or two max).
   Nobody wants your biography!
   Unless you have 10 years of experience, do not go beyond 2 pages. My seniors were quite firm about this.
   
   

3. Never ever put something about which you have incomplete knowledge.
   It can be hazardous as recruiters treat each word of the resume as the gospel truth! For instance, my senior told me that she had put wrong information about an internship and then the recruiter asked her some really deep questions about her work. Now, that is something which counts as a negative point! So, guys be honest about what you tell in a resume.
   
   

4. No irrelevant information
   Avoid information like your Father’s Name, Religion etc. The recruiters only want information that is beneficial and relevant from the company's point of view.
   
   

5. If you want to write hobbies, write something substantial or different!
   Writing, singing, dancing is cool, but are you really serious about it?  Always be prepared to have an in-depth and mature discussion about your hobby. You could also write something different about yourself, which catches the interviewer’s eye. May even lead to some discussion on that (and brownie points)
   
   

6. Write about your volunteering and extra-curricular work. 
   You can mention your societies or community work here. It shows your leadership skills and that you take initiative. For instance, my senior was the core member of our annual college fest, and that really helped her stand out from the rest of her competitors while applying for a role at Amazon (PS - She got selected).
   
   

7. Mix Up Your Word Use
   If every bullet in a resume starts with “Responsible for,” readers will get bored very 
   quickly. Use better & powerful verbs to mix it up!
   
   

8. No school achievements!
   

9. Show  the impact
   It is great if you can mention how your project brought a difference in real life.
   
   

10. No objectives or goal statements 
    No need to waste precious resume space by writing an Objective or Goals paragraph, because it doesn’t contribute anything concrete. You will have an opportunity to talk about it during the interview (make sure you have customized your answer to the company!
    
    

11. Use tables in some case:

    Especially when you write about your educational qualifications in 10th, 12th and Engineering. I had hidden borders as well to make it look neat. 

12. Projects
    Most candidates should pick their top 3 - 5 projects to list on their resume. These can be academic projects or independent projects. I contributed a project to git hub, a well-known development platform. And although I didn't complete or launch the project, it still showed what I was capable of.
    
    

13. Chronological events.

     My seniors suggested that I write all the events in chronological order.

    
    

14. Email address.

    Make sure that your email address is professional. Recruiters won't like to see email Ids such as cutiexyz@gmail.com or smarty.ABC@xyz.com.!

    
    

15. Proofread!

    There is nothing more important than reading through your resume to ensure there are no spelling or formatting errors.