Creating a strong CV and presenting yourself with confidence in an interview are critical steps in securing a job. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you with both:

Crafting a Professional CV:

1. Contact Information:
2. Include your full name, phone number, email address, and LinkedIn profile (if applicable).
3. Resume Summary or Objective:
4. Write a concise statement highlighting your career goals, skills, and what you bring to the table.
5. Education:
6. List your degrees, universities, graduation dates, and any relevant academic honors or awards.
7. Work Experience:
8. Start with your most recent job and work backward. Include the job title, company name, dates of employment, and a bulleted list of accomplishments and responsibilities.
9. Skills:
10. Outline your relevant skills such as technical proficiencies, languages, certifications, or soft skills like leadership or communication.
11. Achievements and Awards:
12. Include any notable achievements or awards that demonstrate your capabilities and dedication in your field.
13. Certifications and Training:
14. List any relevant certifications, workshops, or training programs you've completed.
15. Projects:
16. Mention any notable projects you've worked on, detailing your role and contributions.
17. Volunteer Work or Internships:
18. Include any relevant volunteer work or internships, highlighting what you learned and accomplished.
19. References:
20. Optionally, state that references are available upon request.

Preparing for the Interview:

1. Research the Company:
2. Familiarize yourself with the company's mission, values, products/services, and recent developments. Understand their industry and competitors.
3. Practice Common Interview Questions:
4. Prepare responses to common questions like "Tell me about yourself," "Why do you want to work here," and "What are your strengths/weaknesses?"
5. Behavioral Examples:
6. Prepare specific examples from your past experiences that demonstrate your skills, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork.
7. Confidence through Preparation:
8. Thoroughly study the job description and requirements to align your experiences and skills with what the employer is looking for. Be ready to articulate how your background makes you a perfect fit.
9. Mock Interviews:
10. Practice with a friend or use online resources for mock interviews to help you gain confidence in answering questions fluently and coherently.
11. Body Language and Tone:
12. Maintain good posture, make eye contact, and use a confident and friendly tone. Practice speaking at a reasonable pace and with clear articulation.
13. Ask Questions:
14. Prepare thoughtful questions about the role, team dynamics, or the company. This shows your genuine interest and helps you gather valuable information.
15. Relax and Breathe:
16. On the interview day, take deep breaths, relax, and remember that the interview is an opportunity for both you and the employer to assess fit.

During the Interview:

1. Be Punctual:
2. Arrive on time for in-person interviews or log in promptly for virtual ones.
3. Greet and Engage:
4. Greet the interviewers, maintain eye contact, and show enthusiasm for the opportunity.
5. Listen Actively:
6. Pay close attention to the questions, and take a moment to compose your thoughts before responding.
7. Speak Clearly and Confidently:
8. Speak confidently, at a moderate pace, and articulate your thoughts clearly.
9. Express Gratitude:
10. Thank the interviewers for the opportunity at the end of the interview.

Remember, confidence comes from adequate preparation, so invest time in understanding the role and showcasing your skills and experiences effectively. Good luck!

Hi Mahi,

The purpose of a CV/ resume is to get attention of the recruiter. Ideally it should be a one pager with the following:

1. Education (latest to earliest)
2. Relevant Prior Experience with a brief about your role (Internship or otherwise)
3. Any extra certifications/ skils (eg Financial Modeling, Power BI, etc.)
4. Co-currciular activites/ others (eg Volunteering at NGO, Toastmasters, etc)

Bonus: Please don't make the resume overly fancy in design. Keep the font simple and the layout well-structured. Use bullet points. And Avoid resume templates as it shows lack of effort.

As for your second question about speaking with confidence in interviews, it can be broken down into two components.

1. Technical Skills- how good you are at the domain/ subject area in which you are going for a job
2. Soft Skills- how comfortable you are expressing yourself in front of someone in reasonably good English.

While technical skills might need some time to master, practice of soft skills via mock interviews will help you sit for any interview confidently.

Hope this helps! Good luck :)

Hi Mahi,

There are a lot of formats available on the internet but while you may pick the basic skeleton of the CV from these formats but one has to really know their strentghts, career/education highlights to bring that forward in the CV. The highlights need not be academic/project led but can also be extra curriculars to bring out one's key strengths and personality traits.

The key to talking with confidence is: 3 Ps - PREPARE, PRACTISE, PERFORM...it's a skill to navigate the interview in the direction you want rather than what interviewer is driving and it's not very difficult to achieve. Let me know if you need further help around this.

Hello Mahi,

Proper CV is something which has contact info,, resume objective or summary, work experience in reverse chronological order, education, skills you have.

Then there are other sections also in which you can mentioned the projects you have done, awards, certifications, training, your hobbies, extra curricular activities etc.

For appearing confident in an interview, you need to :

*Prepare and rehearse the answers to possible questions like, experience, education, skill set, etc.

*Also, a brief about your family, If asked

*Respond thoughtfully.

*Be careful about your body posture, not very casual one but you need to appear alert and attentive.

*Think positively.

*Be engaged but calm and composed at the same time.

This will make you much confident in the interview. If you need further help, please connect with me. Shall be happy to reply to your queries.

Arvind Jain