After my previous blog, Your Resume Gets 5 Minutes, I started offering a free resume review for students. You can book time with me here - https://cal.24ninjas.in/e/resume-review
So far, 10 students from Kashmir to Tamil Nadu have used it. While reviewing, I found some resumes that a recruiter would simply discard. Not because the student was weak, but because the resume did not have the right structure or the right details.
So in this blog, I am sharing a simple template for B.Tech students. I hope it makes it a little easier to write your resume, and also to spot the gaps you still need to fill.
One rule before we start - keep your resume crisp, to 1 page.
Core details
Include these so that you can be found and reached easily.
- Name
- Mobile number
- Email ID
- LinkedIn URL
- GitHub URL
Keep your LinkedIn and GitHub profiles relevant and up to date. The details there should match what is in your resume.
Career goal
Write this in your own words. Use it to bring out your interest in a career domain and how you see the world. A few honest lines about what you want to do are better than a copied line that fits everyone.
Education
For each level, include the institute name, degree, year of graduation (or expected year) and your score or CGPA.
- College
- Intermediate / +2
- School / 10th
Skills
Categorize and list down your technical skills. You may consider this section like a quick key word match with the required skills mentioned in the JD/job description.
Internships
One internship is good, two at most. Use this section to show that you can apply your skills and that you can work in a team.
For each one, include:
- Role
- Company name
- Start and end date
- 3 points covering the project or problem statement and its impact, your key contribution, the challenges you resolved, what you learned, the team size and your specific role in the team
- Tech stack (optional)
Projects
Use this section to show your interest in technology and your ability to learn new things. 1-2 projects is good, 3 at most.
For each project, include:
- Project title
- Problem statement, your key contribution, and the challenges you faced and resolved while building it
- Link to GitHub
- Link to the live or deployed version
- Team size and your specific role in the team
The best case is when the interviewer or reviewer can open your product and try it out themselves. If the code needs to stay private, or the project cannot be launched publicly, at least include a video recording of the demo.
Certifications (optional)
Keep 1-3 at most. Include only certifications that go beyond your college syllabus - the rest is just noise. Where possible, add a link to the certificate or an online page where it can be verified.
Achievements / Extra-curricular
Keep this to 3 points at most.
- Competitions or wins you are proud of and want to show.
- Events or volunteering you were part of, in or outside college.
- A hobby or sport, if you are really passionate about it and proud of it. Don't hesitate to include it.
Download the template
You can download the template in docx format here and edit it as needed - Resume Template (docx)
In the template, the grey text in brackets is a hint. Replace it with your own details and remove whatever does not apply to you. Once you fill it in, look at the sections that feel empty. Those are the gaps you can start working on.
And if you want me to take a look, you can still book a free review - https://cal.24ninjas.in/e/resume-review
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