THE MAGIC OF RESUME WRITING

HOW TO GET AN INTERVIEW CALL

EVERYTIME YOU APPLY FOR A SAP
ROLE.

Published by Team of SAP

Consultants at SAPTOPJOBS
Visit us at www.sap-topjobs.com
Copyright 2005@SAPTOPJOBS

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form, or by any means electronic or mechanical including
photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval
system without permission in writing from SAPTOPJOBS.

Do Not Forget to Read Pages 13 to 15

Few have strength of reason to overrule the perceptions of

sense, and yet fewer have curiosity or benevolence to struggle
long against the first impression: He who therefore fails to
please in his salutation and address is at once rejected, and
never obtains an opportunity of showing his latest excellences
or essential qualities."
Johnson: Rambler #166 (October 19, 1751)
This quote written by Johnson Rambler still holds good in our
technological age.
How does it relate to Resume building you would ask?
Resume Building is your first impression and contrary to what
you think clients and consultants spend only 3-4 minutes or
sometimes only one minute on every CV before they shortlist
you for an interview. This is a true statistic as we also have
recruitment experience of around 4 yrs.
One glance and an experienced recruiter or client knows
whether you fit in for an interview. So what are those critical
elements, which a client or a recruiter glances through in a CV?
I will address that in a few moments:
But first certain baby concepts:
Basic Objective of Resume
The basic objective of Making resumes is to get Interview
Calls
I can hear you say Ya, Vish, I know all this.

But I will show you that more than 90% of the consultants might
be aware of this objective but they really do not work on their
CVs to ensure that they achieve this goal.
Jim Rohn the noted philosopher says We major in minor
things and this is true of resume building too.
We waste lot of time and energy in unnecessary details while
making our CV and overlook the critical elements.
While every area in a resume needs to be addressed with care
there are certain key areas which can work magic on your
resume and help you get a 100% success rate in interview calls.
Remember the first step is to get an interview call and the
second to clear the interview. In our other bonus The FICO
Questions and Answers your second step would be
adequately addressed.

All right lets move on.

There are two simple yet critical parts to achieving the 100%
success ratio of getting interview calls:
1) Strictly Follow the DOs and DONTs mentioned down
below
2) Tailor make your CV to fit into the clients requirements,
perfectly each and every time you send it to them. Very few
consultants follow this, very few. Your success percentage
would increase tremendously if you were able to follow this
golden rule. I will show you how to do this in a moment.
But first the Dos and Donts.
I am sorry guys I actually hate the word Dos and Donts but
they keep popping up and I have no option but to use it again).
DOs:
In the Sample Resumes we have attached you will find most of
these Dos . They are only a guide and I am sure many of you
can think of better Dos.
FIRST PAGE OF YOUR RESUME
Here is a list of certain definite things which every client looks
for in the first 2 two lines of your resume: Ensure that all this
are highlighted and in bold:
1) Your Core Module.
2) No of Yrs SAP Experience
3) Your Contact Number
4) Email Id

5) SAP certified (if you are)

6) Worked in Latest Version (Mention that)
7) Specific Industry Experience
These seven things should be reflected in bold with large
fonts in the first two lines of your resume. There are many
people who mention their sap certification and versions
somewhere inside their cv where clients find it difficult to
locate. Mention all those right at the top.
The client should be able to locate all the important
information about you very easily without making any
efforts. These are simple things but if done properly they
increase your success ratio. Remember as I said our objective
it to get an interview call, nothing else.
Hot Tips: If the client is looking for Asset Management
or Product costing mention that right at the top with
your core module. The client loves that. Also in the
summary below, if any education or training which
you had undertaken earlier and are related to the role
you are applying for,mention that liberally
The next important thing is the Body of the First page:
The First Para:
Provide a Summary about your SAP experience paying
particular attention to the Number of Full Implementations,
Rollouts, Upgrades etc

You can mention here any special skills and interfaces

like Vertex, CIN etc you have worked in.

 Special Non-SAP qualifications like CPA,CIMA,

ICWA,CA,MBA which will highlight your professional
experience.
Specific Industry experience if the client is relating to that
industry.
The Second Para:
Mention All Your Core Skill sets in Brief: Refer to the Sample
CVS attached
Highlight those which the Client is looking for like say Asset
Accounting, Tax Depreciation, Product Costing Make to Stock,
Costing Based Profitability Analysis.

SECOND PAGE OF YOUR RESUME

The Second Page should highlight the snap shot of all your
implementations in a Table form. This is liked by all the
clients and is a virtual winner.
The Table should carry the following details:
Consulting Employer
Name of the Client or Employer

Your Role in the Project :

Version Worked in
Modules Implemented
Date of Go Live
Nature of Implementation: Whether Rollout, Upgrade Etc
I have attached a snap shot of how a Table could look like in
the next page. You can of course make it look better:
This table is a birds eye view of the various implementations
you have done and will help a client get all the information at
one glance. If you follow the guidelines mentioned in the first
two pages your success ratio will increase significantly
Hot Tips:
1) In the last Column where you mention your role be creative
mention roles like Integration, Co-ordinator and any new terms
which will make your resume stand out.

2) If you have worked only on one rollout project so far, lets

say 3 yrs or so then do the following: Break that up into 5
parts stating Japan Rollout, Europe Rollout, etc or you
could say First Phase, Second Phase Etc. You need to
think creatively how you can put atleast 4 entries in the
Table below even if you are new and have only one
project. Be creative when you are short of experience.
People need quality and quantity both remember.

Consulting
Employer

Client
Name/
Industry

Location
of
Project

Duration

Modules/Nat
ure

Dystar GMBH

Dystar India
(Textile
Dyes.
Chemical
Ind)
AMI DUDOCO
(Engineering
Industry)

INDIA

1 year
Jun 96April 97

FI/CO Cons
Ver 3.1 H

USA

4 yrs
May 97 to
March
2001

FI/Co Lead
Cons
Ver 4.0

Atos
Origin(French
& Dutch
Company)

Tamimi
Foods
(IS Retail)

SAUDI
ARABIA

3 months
March
2001 to
May 2001

FI/Co Lead
Cons
Ver 4.5
Support/Trng

Atos Origin

Vantico
Polymers
(Process
Indstry/Swiss
Company

Singapore

5 months
June 2001
to Oct2001

FI/CO Lead
Cons
Ver 4.6
Global Roll-out

Atos Origin

Proctor*&
Gamble
(Consumer
GoodsPharm
a
SASREF
(Oil Industry)

Singapore
/Asia
Pacific

5 months
Nov 2001
To
March02

FI/CO Lead
Cons/SAP
Trainer
Ver 4.5

Saudi
Arabia

April02 to
Dec02

FI/CO Cons
Ver 4.6

Intelligroup
USA(SAP
Partner across
the world)

Atos Origin

Deloitte
Consulting UK

Rohm and
Haas(Speciali
ty Chemicals)

Uk,
Europe

Feb 03 to
Dec 03

FI/CO Lead
Cons/Knowledg
e Transition
Incharge
Ver 4.6

GE ENERGY
USA

Panametrics

US

June 03 to
Dec 2004

FI/CO Lead
Cons/Integratio
n Coordinator/SAP
Trainer

You will notice that this table basically covers your entire
experience in one snap shot. It is loved by employers so dont
forget to do that.

3. Project Details
Next comes the Project Details and as mentioned in the Table
Each project individually should also contain the following
Modules Implemented
Version
Go Live Date
Your Major Contributions.- This is significant for it
highlights your role in the project. This piece should be
tailor made to fit into the project you want to get into.
Hot Tips: Mention and highlight the Sub-Modules which
the employer is looking for by stating at least 4-5 points
in that sub-module. This would sure shot give you an
interview call.

These are the Basic Dos and if you get this right your
conversion rates of getting interviews would increase
substantially.
Now lets quickly cover the Donts before we zero in on how to
tailor make your resume to fit the project.

DONTS
There are various Donts while making your resume but the
most important ones are listed down below:
Never Mention the following in your CV unless it is really
needed:
Your Date of Birth
Your Correspondence Home Address especially for
consultants from Asian Regions
Your Nationality more so in case of Consultants from
Asian Regions
Your Passport Details
Your Educational Qualifications which are nonprofessional.
There are various other Donts but the important factor you
should keep in mind is you should never hurt the Ego of the
employer or client and should do everything to present your
case in a humble and pleasing manner. It works guys , big
time. I and thousands of others are testimonials to it.
If you got a little bored, I suggest you grab a cup of coffee and
listen to music before we move on the simple yet overlooked
part of tailoring your resume to fit into the clients needs.

HOW TO TAILOR MAKE YOUR CV TO FIT IT INTO THE

CLIENTS REQUIREMENTS PERFECTLY SO THAT YOU GET
AN INTERVIEW CALL EVERY TIME YOU SEND YOUR
RESUME
Ok Now getting an interview call is no rocket science.
Lets say for example your shoe size is No 10. So when you go
out shopping, what size would you ask for? No 10 or No 9.
No 10 of course, right. Why? Simple because it fits in perfectly
on your feet.What would happen if the shop keeper gives you a
No 9 size? You would instantly reject it saying my shoe size
is No 10. The same case applies to SAP jobs. The client is the
buyer who wants a No 10 and you as a shopkeeper or a job
hunter has to provide him with a No 10 Resume every time he
asks for it.
Every client would have different requirements, so how do we
ensure that we send the perfect resume which fits in to the
clients needs?
Very simple. This is what I was taught 6 yrs ago and I am going
to reveal this simple yet overlooked aspect. I still use it and
so do many consultants and it works big time.
After you have finished making an attractive resume using the
steps outlined above here is what you need to do:
Let me give you an example:
Lets say you are looking for a break and want a change of your
SAP job or you are a fresher looking out for SAP roles:
So what do you do first thing.You go into various job sites say
for eg: www.jobserve.com, www.dice.com, or www.seek.com
and type fico in the search term. You get around 50 to 60 jobs
pertaining to your module. Out of that you pick up 10 or 15

which you feel are relevant and then you send your resume to
each of them. This is what 95% of the consultants do.And I
hate to say that this is one of the main reasons why you do
not land up with an interview call.
Now this is what I did and many other consultants who
got lucrative jobs did and it works.
1. After I had zeroed in on the 15-20 jobs, I looked for those
jobs where there is less competition . If you are not able to
do that dont worry but if you can that is wonderful. For
eg: Very few consultants know material ledger,product
costing. (Also read my article How to Get Six Figure
Salaries)
2. Instead of sending the same resume to all the recruiters I
read each of their specific job requirements and ensured
that my first two pages reflected that requirement in
totality
So say: A client is looking for Asset accounting and you do
have it in your resume but is not so apparent. Now the
client is seeking desperately for an Asset Accounting guy.
So make it known to the client that you are a specialist
in Asset Accounting. Spend 10 minutes

changing your resume to reflect the same

by highlighting various points which will
make your resume stand out.

So I had a version 0 which was my main resume and then

everday I would send 10 resumes which I would alter
based on the needs of the clients and send it to them.So
in a day I would spend around an hour doing so. But
within a week or in some case a month I would get the job
of my choice. Guaranteed it works.

Hot Tips: NEVER EVER SEND YOUR SAME RESUME TO

100 CLIENTS. IT JUST DOES NOT WORK. PICK AND
CHOOSE AND MODIFY YOUR RESUME TO FIT INTO
THEIR NEEDS.
It is quite simple you see. All you need to remember is the
Story of the No. 10 Shoe. You as a job hunter have to
offer your client the Perfect resume they are looking for. If
you make haste and send the same resumes to 100
recruiters or clients it just does not work.
Imagine if 100 people come to the store and the
shopkeeper had only No 10 to offer what would have
happened? . He would have lost 90% of his clients. But if
he had all the different sizes of shoes to cater to the needs
of the various customers, he would have generated
excellent sales. Same holds true in your case too.
Package your CV differently everytime you send it out.
Tweak in one or two sentences, modify few lines,
highlight some of them. You will be surprised to see the
difference . I bet on you. We do not do the basics right and
hence we do not get the results. Starting today change
your approach.
To summarize:
1. Follow the DOs and Donts
2. Spend an hour everyday and send your resumes to
only 8-10 consultants by knowing what their exact
requirements are and ensuring that your CV reflects
that in totality.
Resume writing is never a one time process . You can have a
version 0 but you need to alter that version everytime you send
to the client. If you do that you will definitely get an interview
call. My ratio is 100% of getting interview calls even when I did

not have any experience in SAP.(How I did that you can read
more of it in the article How to Get Six Figure Salaries
Remember the objective of writing resumes is to get an interview
call. At this stage you do not have to worry about how you clear
the interview. Be creative,bold and daring in your resume.
It should reflect your personality. So give it your best shot.
Dont make it just for the sake of making so. That way you will
end up getting ordinary projects. Jumpstart your SAP career by
throwing in your personality in your resume, be creative and
you will see that very soon you will land up with lucrative roles.
Nowadays a latest trend is to make the CVs in Pdf as it looks
very presentable. You can easily make PDF documents of your
word files. Go to http://createpdf.adobe.com/. They allow
you to create 5 PDF files for free.
You can also have a look at the 5 SAMPLE Resumes which are
there in this CD. You can use them as a template for making
your resume. You need not even follow any of them. The
important point is to understand what Clients look for in a
Resume and to provide those details.
Remember your objective is to get an interview call first. You
can land up with a top paying assignment only after you get an
interview call.
Take care and Good day
Thanks
Vish