10 Tips for CA Articleship Resume

The CA articleship is one of the most critical aspects of one's CA journey, as it is a brilliant opportunity for one to learn and grow. You've studied for months on end, cleared your exams and now, it's time to put your skills to the test. 

An articleship is the next step in your education. Armed with everything you've learned, you now have to get real-life experience. All the academic knowledge now has to be refined into something that will actually be useful. You have to learn how your skills are applied. This can only be done under the experienced eyes of senior CAs at a firm, which is where you'll undergo your articleship. The right articleship can get you on the right career path in no time. Therefore, it is imperative that you choose your firm wisely. 

Generally, the more well-known and prestigious the firm, the harder it is to get in. Competition to get into the Big Four is incredibly high. Whether you decide to join a big firm or work under an individual CA, is your decision. However, for you to get selected by the best, you need the right resume. 

The articleship resume is a little different than the usual resume. Unlike a regular resume, the CA articleship resume will not only focus on your past experiences but your academic scores as well. Your scores will play a huge role and are highly valued. Your scores are what will help you resume stand out and increase your chances of being chosen by your desired organization. Here are a few tips to help you and your resume stand out in the crowd. 

• Design

Not many people realize that design is one of the most crucial aspects of creating a resume. The resume design can prove to be the difference between overlooked and selected. Therefore, it is imperative that you choose your resume design carefully. Make the design clean, clear and ensure that continuity is not lost. 

• Font

Although the font is a part of the design, not many people realize the effect it can have. Complicated fonts, like calligraphy, can make it difficult for the employer to read your resume, or worse, make you look unprofessional. Stick to standard fonts. Sans serif fonts such as Calibri and Arial are easier to read as compared to serif fonts like Times New Roman. 

• Clarity

Be very clear about the information you provide in your resume. It cannot be chaotic and needs to be presented well. Do not italicize, highlight, or capitalize anything on your resume as it might just end up looking messy. You could, however, bold certain aspects that you want to highlight. 

• Objective

A lot of people still write their objectives on their resume. The practice, however a part of the tradition, is a bit out-dated. You can instead, mention your objective on your cover letter. If you, however, choose to add the objective line to your resume, keep it short and straightforward. Do not go overboard with big words and flowery language. 

• Relevance

A lot of people believe that every small achievement and success needs to be put down on the resume. This only works if you are applying to a generic job. However, for a CA articleship, it is a good practice to only list relevant experience and achievements. You should, by all means, leave out the 2nd prize you won in an obstacle race in school.

• Length

In continuation with the above point, the matter in your resume needs to be relevant and precise. If you only keep relevant information in the resume, the length will automatically remain short. One page long resumes have a higher likelihood of being viewed as compared to longer resumes. Why? A more concise resume makes it easier for your employer to go through your information and view it on a single page, keep it short.

• Construction

When you are designing and constructing your resume, remember to put information in an easily readable format. Do not write paragraphs worth of information. If something must be explained, keep it under two sentences. Use bullet points wherever possible and format the resume to look crisp and clear.

• Flow

A lot of information goes on your resume, and it varies from your marks to your extracurricular activities and relevant experience. The key is to prioritize this information and list it down accordingly. The flow of the resume is critical. You can use a chronological order to portray the information or simply put the more valuable information on top. 

• Guidelines

A lot of firms have clear instructions on how they want their applications and resumes. Pay attention to these guidelines as they will not entertain applications that do not follow the same. Modify your resume according to the guidelines before you submit it.

• Contact Information

A lot of students make this silly mistake of providing contact information on the resume. Remember that the information on the resume is the only way that employers can contact you. Therefore, ensure that the contact information that you provide is valid and readily available. If you have provided your email address, which you should, make sure that you check your inbox at regular intervals. 

• Seek Help

There are a lot of resources available free of cost on the internet that will provide you with formats and feedback on your resume.  Refer to various resume formats before you finalize yours. See what best suits your skills. The objective of a resume is to highlight your skills to prospective employers; therefore, ensure that you have achieved the same while making the perfect resume.

We hope these tips will come in handy for you when you start applying for your articleship in various firms. We wish you all the very best! 

25-May-2019