Resume guide
Resume format
A resume format is the order and layout of the sections on your resume. For freshers in India, use a one-page, reverse-chronological format: contact details, a two-line career objective or summary, education, skills, projects, internships, certifications and achievements. Keep the layout to one column, save it as a PDF and name the file with your name.
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What is a simple resume format?
A simple resume format is one column with standard headings (Contact, Career objective, Education, Skills, Projects, Certifications) and one readable font. Leave out tables, photos and graphics: a plain layout reads cleanly on a phone and in the software many employers use to sort resumes. Save it as a PDF named with your full name.
What is the right resume format for a job?
For a fresher, the best format is one page and one column, with clear headings in this order:
- Name, phone, email, city and LinkedIn
- Career objective or summary, in two lines
- Education, latest first, with marks
- Skills: technical skills first, then tools
- Projects and internships: what you did and what came of it
- Certifications, achievements and activities
- Declaration, only if the employer asks for one
Resume for freshers walks through each section with sample resumes.
Resume or CV: which format do you need?
Many job posts in India use resume and CV for the same thing: a one or two page summary of your education, skills and experience. A longer CV, listing every publication and conference, is mostly asked for in academic and research roles. If a job post asks for a CV and you are a fresher, send your one-page resume.
Should you use resume templates?
Use one only if it is plain. A simple template saves time, but heavy designs with photos, tables, icons and two columns can confuse the software some companies use to read resumes, called an applicant tracking system (ATS).
Which resume format should you send: Word or PDF?
Send a text-based PDF unless the employer asks for Word; most applicant tracking systems read both. Write your resume in Word or Google Docs with one column and standard headings, then save it as a PDF, which looks the same on every screen. Name the file with your name, for example Priya-Sharma-Resume.pdf.
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Questions freshers ask
Copy the samples in our resume for freshers guide. A fresher CV uses the same one-page, one-column layout, so the same samples work as a CV template.
One page and one column, in this order: contact details, career objective, education, skills, projects and internships, certifications and achievements. Use clear headings and a readable font, and save it as a PDF.
Yes. A fresher rarely needs more than one page. Keep what recruiters look for, such as your degree, skills, projects and internships, and cut long objectives, hobby lists and personal details they do not need.
Usually not. Campus placement cells such as IIT Madras’s ban pictures on student resumes, and a photo can stop applicant tracking software reading your resume. Add one only when the job post asks for it.
PDF, unless the job post asks for Word. A PDF looks the same on every screen. Name it with your full name, for example Priya-Sharma-Resume.pdf.
Yes. The Kaabil App builds your resume on your phone and scores it with the Kaabil Score, so you can see what to improve before you apply.