I came across a dozen CV’s lately particularly from MIT Manipal. The MITians are known in the country to be smart which we proudly shove at anyone’s face if questioned about our academic prowess. However, majority of the CVs forwarded to me had some very grave mistakes. Being a six pointer myself, I preferred presenting things ‘pretty’ rather than having interviewers dwell on points (read GPA) that are not my strong suit. Here are a few suggestions when you forward that CV to a company.
- Know the company– Never apply for a company without knowing the job profiles they offer. Do your research on the history and working of the company. At least go through their website. If possible call someone you know from the company to know details. It qualifies your interest towards the job and would help you a great deal if selected for an interview.
- Check the CV for formatting errors, futile info and typos– I know majority students use the CV format given by TCS. It is a very professional format but that does not mean that it can’t be manipulated to suit a particular company.
- If you don’t have a diploma, why leave it blank. Remove it. Same goes with internships, paper presentations or even landline numbers. Delete it rather than leaving it blank.
- That TT match you won for your school in 8th grade is of no use. Picking Infodesks in first year as a ‘Volunteer’ would not help you much either. Even if your CV feels blank, do not claim that your achievements of almost a decade back matter.
- PLEASE CHANGE YOUR BRANCH NAME FROM THE EXAMPLE GIVEN IN THE TCS FORMAT!!!
- If you don’t have a diploma, why leave it blank. Remove it. Same goes with internships, paper presentations or even landline numbers. Delete it rather than leaving it blank.
- Highlight your strengths–
- Always keep 2-3 CVs for different kind of companies. At least keep one for technical and other for non-technical companies.
- That exaggerated Dipping CGPA table can be done away with for all non-technical companies.
- Put your achievements before the academics if you want the interview to go towards it (i.e avoiding the ‘why is your GPA so low?’ question)
- Highlight the headings of any achievement or project you are proud of and can talk at length about.
- Change the objective- Be more personal towards the particular company when you are writing your objective. To work for an organisation that will enhance my personal and intellectual growth! It’s boring!!! Be Different.
- Telephonic interviews- These are tricky. They do take you by surprise. However, I think the interviewer will understand if you just tell him to call back in some time if you are just out of the shower, are high or even outside with traffic noise in background.
You are almost done with your graduation. Your father no longer wants to pay for your basic necessities. Grow up guys! And all the best.
PS: Please don’t let any other senior tell me that MITians are not good for a job in a company that is virtually run by the Mighty Mighty MITians!!! Go get placed #hashtags are waiting…
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