Seminar on SOP, Abstract and Resume Writing

Corporate experts often remark that first impressions are extremely crucial, and the world of job hunting is no exception. The profile that aspiring employees often build determines the value they will add to the company which makes CV (Curriculum Vitae) building significantly fundamental. Intending to help students decode their way to impressing employers, The Bhawanipur Education Society College hosted a seminar on SOP, Abstract, and Resume Writing in collaboration with T.I.M.E (Triumphant Institute of Management Education), Kolkata on 19th January 2024 in the Society Hall of the college campus from 10:00 am onwards. The keynote speakers were Mr. Sidharth Malik, Centre Director at T.I.M.E, Kolkata, and Mr. Inder Chopra, Senior Faculty and Mentor at T.I.M.E, Kolkata.

The seminar kickstarted with the speakers stating the importance of a CV. Curriculum Vitae is the first point of contact between the employee and the employer, and it mirrors the employee’s aptitude and determines their eligibility for a personal interview. Every reputed company receives a significant number of applications for a job role which makes the work of an HR time-consuming, to tackle this the HR ends up spending a mere 15-20 seconds of their time reviewing one CV. Hence, it is extremely important for an employee to format and present their CV in a way that catches the eye of the employer. It has to be organised enough and reflects the candidate’s attention to detail.

The audience was briefed about the significance of a master CV which is a repository of everything an employee has done throughout their academic and work trajectory which includes a record of every participation and achievement that is verifiable. Further, the speakers and the audience analysed two sample CVs and identified key flaws in the format and structure while discussing how they can be rectified without having to change the original content. They also added how each candidate should make a profile that is modified based on the different companies & their job, and should ensure that the different heads on the CV are in reverse chronology.

It is also important to quantify the employee’s achievements and highlight phrases of utmost importance that would catch the employer’s attention. The employees could also add links to their relevant social media profiles that might add weightage to their aptitude in the profile. In the later part of the seminar, the speakers shared how they made their way through the top B-schools and the effort that goes into it. Some of the misconceptions and myths around SOP & Abstract writing were busted by the speakers making students hopeful about making more competitive profiles. They also shed light on the importance of perspectives, and how a CV can be made strong even with minimal yet efficient work experience but with the right choice of words.

The session concluded with a Q&A round through which the students raised their doubts about building CVs or cracking competitive exams. The seminar truly added value to the student’s personal and professional development and inspired them to confidently walk towards achieving their goals.

Reporter: Jiya Tanna
Photographer: Agrag Ghosh