Many resumes in India still follow a format passed down through old templates: a photo in the corner, date of birth, father's name, a career objective, a table of 10th and 12th marks and a signed declaration at the bottom. Some of that is harmless. Some of it takes space away from what a recruiter is looking for, and some of it can confuse the software that reads your resume first.
This guide covers a format that works for applicant tracking systems (ATS) and for the person who reads your resume afterwards, with section orders for freshers and experienced candidates.
The format in one minute
- One column, standard section headings and a common font
- A PDF with selectable text, unless the application asks for a Word file
- One page for freshers; one to two pages with experience
- Contact details in the body of the page, not only in a header
- No photo, date of birth, marital status or declaration unless an employer asks
- Skills spelled the way job descriptions spell them
Why format matters for ATS
When you apply through a company's careers page or a job portal, the system usually extracts the text from your resume so recruiters can search it. Simple layouts come through in the right order. Text boxes, multiple columns, tables, icons and text inside images can come out jumbled or go missing.
An ATS rarely rejects a resume because of its design; the article on the 75% rejection myth explains why. The real cost of a messy format is quieter: your details are harder to search, and the recruiter who opens the file has to work harder to find what matters.
A quick test: open your PDF, select all the text, copy it and paste it into a plain text editor such as Notepad. If sections appear out of order or text is missing, a parser may have the same problem.
Layout
- One column. Two-column designs are often read left column first, then right, which mixes your skills into your work history.
- Standard headings. Use Summary, Work Experience, Education, Skills, Projects and Certifications. Avoid creative headings such as "My Journey".
- Common fonts. Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, Georgia or Times New Roman, at 10 to 12 points for body text.
- No tables or text boxes for important content. Use plain text and bullet points instead.
- No skill bars, star ratings or charts. A parser cannot read four out of five stars, and recruiters do not rely on self-ratings.
- Consistent dates. Pick one format, such as "Jun 2023 – Present", and use it everywhere.
PDF or Word?
A PDF exported from Word, Google Docs or a resume builder keeps your layout and contains real text, and most portals accept it. Upload a Word file when an application asks for one. Never upload a scanned image or a photo of a printed resume: there is no text in it to read.
How long should it be?
- Freshers and early career: one page.
- Two to ten years of experience: one to two pages. Use the second page only if the content earns it.
- Senior professionals: two pages, focused on roughly the last ten years.
Section order for freshers
- Name and contact details
- Summary: two or three lines naming the role you want and your strongest skills. This replaces the old career objective.
- Education: degree, specialisation, college, university, year of passing and CGPA or percentage
- Skills: grouped, such as Programming, Tools and Languages
- Projects: the problem, your role, the tools and the outcome
- Internships and training
- Certifications
- Achievements and activities: hackathons, competitions and positions of responsibility
Section order for experienced professionals
- Name and contact details
- Summary: your role, years of experience, domain and two or three strongest skills
- Skills
- Work experience: most recent first, with three to six bullet points for recent roles
- Projects, if they add something your roles do not
- Education
- Certifications
Contact details
Put these at the top of the page, in the main body rather than a header or footer:
- Full name
- Mobile number with the country code, such as +91
- A professional email address
- City and state, plus "open to relocation" if that is true
- LinkedIn profile URL, and GitHub or a portfolio if they are relevant to the role
A full postal address is not needed.
What to leave out, and when to include it
| Detail | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Photo | Leave it out unless the employer asks for one. It uses space and adds nothing a parser can read. |
| Date of birth, gender, marital status, religion, father's name | Leave them out. They are not needed to judge your fit for a job, and they are personal information. |
| Declaration ("I hereby declare that…") | Leave it out. Submitting your resume already implies the details are true. |
| Current and expected CTC | Leave it off the resume. Share it when an application form or a recruiter asks. |
| Notice period | Optional. A short line can help if you can join quickly, but many forms ask for it separately. |
| 10th and 12th marks | Include them as a fresher, especially when an employer asks for them. After a few years of experience, your degree is usually enough. |
| Hobbies | Only if they are relevant to the role or show a real achievement. |
| References | Leave them out, and share them when asked. |
Education details that work
- Write the CGPA with its scale, such as "CGPA 8.2/10", or give the percentage.
- Include the year of passing, or the expected year if you are still studying.
- Write the full degree name, such as "B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering", so both the abbreviation and the full name can be found.
- If you have a gap, a one-line explanation in your summary or cover letter is enough.
Skills: use the words postings use
Recruiters search for tools and skills by name, so match the spelling in job descriptions: "Advanced Excel", "Power BI", "Tally Prime", "GST", "SAP FICO", "Java", "Spring Boot". Group skills rather than writing one long line, and list only skills you can discuss in an interview.
To see which skills a specific posting asks for, paste your resume and the job description into the free resume keyword scanner.
Bullet points: action, detail, result
Each bullet point should show what you did and what changed because of it. Illustrative examples:
- Accounts executive: "Filed monthly GST returns and reconciled vendor ledgers in Tally Prime for 120 suppliers, clearing a three-month reconciliation backlog."
- Software developer: "Built REST APIs in Spring Boot for a loan application module used by four branch teams, and added unit tests that caught payment errors before release."
- Sales executive: "Generated leads through LinkedIn and cold calling across Pune and Mumbai, winning 18 new B2B accounts in the financial year."
- Fresher project: "Developed a college placement portal in React and Node.js with a team of three, used by the placement cell to track 400 student applications."
Use real numbers from your own work. If you are not sure of a figure, leave it out rather than guess.
A simple header example
Priya Sharma
Data Analyst · Pune, Maharashtra · +91 98XXX XXXXX · priya.sharma@example.com · linkedin.com/in/priya-sharma-example
Illustrative example. Keep the header to two lines, with no photo, icons or table.
File name and uploading
- Name the file clearly, such as Priya-Sharma-Data-Analyst-Resume.pdf.
- Keep your job portal profiles consistent with the resume you upload. The Naukri headline examples show how.
- Keep a note of which version you sent where. A job application tracker keeps each resume with its job.
Check it before you send it
- Do the copy-and-paste test in a plain text editor.
- Scan the resume against the job description for missing keywords.
- Run a full ATS check to see format, sections, impact and readability as well, and read what a good ATS score is before you act on the number.
Frequently asked questions
Should I add a photo to my resume in India?
Only if the employer asks for one. Most applications do not need a photo, and leaving it out gives your experience more space.
Is a two-page resume acceptable?
Yes, with several years of relevant experience. Freshers should keep to one page.
Should I write a career objective?
Replace it with a short summary that names the role you want and the skills you bring. "Seeking a challenging position in a reputed organisation" tells a recruiter nothing.
Do companies in India use applicant tracking systems?
Many employers, especially larger companies and recruitment firms, collect applications through careers portals and hiring software that extract and search resume text. A simple format works well in all of them, and for the people reading your resume.
Can I use a designed template from a website?
Choose a simple, single-column design with real text. If a template relies on columns, icons or skill bars, do the copy-and-paste test before you use it.
The short version
Keep the layout simple, the headings standard and the file a PDF with real text. Lead with a short summary, order the sections for your experience level, spell skills the way postings do, and drop personal details that do not help a recruiter judge your fit.
Build a resume from your career profile with Vignova, then check it against the job before you apply.