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Resume + Interview Prep
A resume is a 30-second pitch. An interview is a 30-minute proof. What actually works for fresher hiring in India in 2026.
The fresher resume
The 1-page rule
For fresher applications, your resume must fit one A4 page. Two pages signal "padded" — not "experienced". Cut ruthlessly.
Section order that works
- Contact — name, phone, email, LinkedIn, GitHub (CS), Portfolio (design)
- Summary (optional) — 2 lines maximum, only if it's actually distinctive
- Education — college, degree, dates, CGPA. Class 12 + 10 percentages.
- Experience / Internships — most-recent first. Quantified bullets.
- Projects — link to GitHub / Behance / Medium. 3-5 best ones.
- Skills — honest only. Don't list "Python" if you can't FizzBuzz.
- Awards + Co-curricular — only if substantive (olympiad medal, hackathon win)
ATS-friendly formatting
ATS = Applicant Tracking System (Workday, Lever, Greenhouse, Naukri-RMS). ATS parsers read text top-to-bottom. To get past:
- Use a simple single-column layout (no 2-column "design" templates from Canva)
- Use standard section headers (Education, Experience, Skills, Projects)
- Don't use tables, text boxes, or images for content
- Save as PDF (not .docx)
- Use a normal font (Helvetica, Arial, Calibri, Times) at 10-11pt
- Include keywords from the job description verbatim where honest
Strong bullet vs weak bullet
Weak: "Worked on user authentication system using JWT."
Strong: "Built JWT-based auth (Express + Redis) for 12k MAU app — cut session DB load by 80%."
Pattern: action verb + technical detail + measurable impact. Hiring managers skim for impact numbers.
Interview prep by track
Software Engineer
What to prep: DSA (LeetCode 100 medium), system design basics (Karaiyappa video, Designing Data-Intensive Apps), Git/SQL/Linux fundamentals, behavioural (STAR format)
Resources: LeetCode + NeetCode 150 + InterviewBit. For system design: ByteByteGo + Alex Xu's books.
UPSC / Civil Services
What to prep: GS Mains question bank (Vision IAS test series), current affairs depth, personality-test mocks, optional subject prep, essay practice
Resources: Vision IAS / Shankar IAS / Forum IAS materials. PYQ analysis is highest leverage.
Banking PO + RBI
What to prep: Quant aptitude, reasoning, English, banking awareness (RBI annual report, monetary policy), economy + current affairs
Resources: Practicemock, Adda247, Oliveboard for mocks. RBI annual report PDFs free.
MBA — IIM/MDI/SPJIMR
What to prep: CAT mocks, WAT (written ability), GD (group discussion), Personal Interview. Profile fit + answer-why questions matter.
Resources: TIME, IMS, Career Launcher for full prep. WAT/GD/PI bank from past-year IIM-WAT-PI books.
Design — UX / Product
What to prep: Portfolio review prep, whiteboard challenge prep, behavioural (why this company/role), case study walk-through
Resources: Lessons.design (free), Stage Free portfolio templates, dribbble for portfolio benchmarks
MBA Consulting (MBB)
What to prep: Case interview practice (50+ cases), market sizing, profitability frameworks, structured problem-solving
Resources: Case In Point (Cosentino), RocketBlocks paid, Management Consulted free guide
Salary negotiation (fresher edition)
3 things that matter
- Anchor with data, not feelings. Use our careers section for salary bands by role. Also look at AmbitionBox, Levels.fyi (tech), Glassdoor. "Industry standard for your role + my tier is ₹X-Y. Where can you place me?"
- Negotiate TC, not just base. Total comp = base + variable + stocks/RSUs + sign-on + relocation + benefits. Top firms split heavily into variable + stocks.
- Get the offer in writing first. Negotiate after you have the offer letter or detailed verbal offer. Negotiating before puts you at a disadvantage.
Things that hurt freshers in negotiation
- Sharing your "current package" first — anchors negotiation low
- Accepting verbal offers without written confirmation
- Negotiating without a competing offer (use multiple shortlists strategically)
- Asking for "a fair amount" — give specific numbers
- Saying yes immediately — take 24 hours minimum to think + counter
Roadmap
Coming next: downloadable resume templates per career (CS, finance, govt-services, design, content). Personalised version that tailors a base template to your background using the existing Ask Shishya infrastructure.