Section 1HeaderALWAYS FREE
The header is the first thing a recruiter sees. Keep it clean, complete, and scannable in under 3 seconds.
Include
- ✓Full name (large, top of page)
- ✓Phone number (Indian format)
- ✓Professional email address
- ✓LinkedIn URL (shortened)
- ✓City (just city, no full address)
- ✓Portfolio/GitHub (if relevant to role)
Never Include
- ✗Date of birth
- ✗Photo
- ✗"Objective" statements
- ✗Full home address
- ✗Marital status
Formula
[Full Name] | [Phone] | [Email] | [LinkedIn] | [City]
Example
Priya Sharma
+91 98765 43210 · priya.sharma@gmail.com · linkedin.com/in/priyasharma · Mumbai
Section 2Education
Strong for recent grads. Show it confidently if your numbers are good.
Include
- ✓College name
- ✓Degree + major
- ✓Year of graduation (or expected)
- ✓CGPA (if 7.5+)
- ✓Relevant coursework (2–3 max, only if relevant)
- ✓Academic achievements (if strong)
Never Include
- ✗School (10th/12th) unless exceptional board result
- ✗CGPA below 7.0
- ✗Every course you've taken
Formula
[College Name] | [Degree], [Major] | [Year] | CGPA: [X.X]
Section 3Experience
The most important section. Each entry: Company name + role title + dates + location. 2–4 bullets using the formula: Action verb + what you did + result/impact.
Weak
Worked on social media marketing for the brand
Helped with financial analysis
Strong
Grew brand's Instagram engagement rate from 2.1% to 5.8% over 8 weeks by restructuring content calendar and A/B testing caption formats
Built 3-statement financial model for Series B fintech startup; identified ₹12L cost optimisation opportunity presented to CFO
Action Verbs by Domain
Consulting
AnalysedStructuredSynthesisedBenchmarkedMappedRecommendedEvaluatedOptimised
Finance
ModelledForecastedValuedAuditedReconciledProjectedStress-testedCalculated
Marketing
GrewLaunchedCampaignedScaledTestedOptimisedConvertedTracked
BD
SourcedPitchedClosedNegotiatedOnboardedProspectedPartneredGenerated
Operations
StreamlinedAutomatedReducedImprovedCoordinatedDeployedManagedDelivered
Founder's Office
LedDroveBuiltDesignedExecutedOwnedShippedScaled
Section 4Projects
For students without internship experience, projects carry the section.
- →Project name + what it was + result
- →2–3 bullet points max
- →Only include if genuinely relevant — a random college fest project weakens the resume
Section 5Skills
Keep it clean and scannable. Only list skills you can be tested on.
Include
- ✓Technical: Excel, Python, SQL, Tableau
- ✓Languages: English (Professional), Hindi (Native)
- ✓Certifications: CFA Level 1 (if relevant)
Never Write
- ✗"Microsoft Office"
- ✗"Communication skills"
- ✗"Team player"
- ✗"Leadership"
Section 6Activities & Achievements
Optional but powerful if strong. Leave it out if you don't have strong entries — a weak activities section hurts more than it helps.
- →Case competition wins (mention rank + participants)
- →Club leadership positions (with measurable impact)
- →Publications, patents, national-level achievements