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Resume format for India

Indian employers read a one-page resume for freshers and up to two pages for experienced hires, in reverse-chronological order: summary, experience, education, skills, then personal details and an optional declaration. Photo and date of birth are optional; your notice period helps. The builder lays it out for you.

Build my resumeCheck my ATS scoreUpdated 28 September 2026

By Rajesh Kumar · How these pages are made

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Indian resume format at a glance

Length
One page for freshers and early careers; two pages for experienced and senior roles.
Order
Name and contact, summary or objective, work experience, education, skills, projects and certifications, personal details, declaration.
Photo
Optional. Many employers don't need one; some Indian firms and government forms ask for one. Follow the advert.
Date of birth
Optional. Common on Indian resumes and required on government forms; leave it off unless asked.
Declaration
"I hereby declare…" with place, date and name. Some government, PSU and traditional employers ask for it; optional elsewhere.
Marks
CGPA with its scale (8.4/10), and percentages for Class X and XII. Freshers list them; experienced people can drop school marks.
Notice period
Say it: "Notice period: 30 days" or "Immediate joiner". Job portals and recruiters ask for it.
Never include
Aadhaar or PAN numbers, current or expected CTC (the portal form asks for it), religion, caste, a full home address.
File
A text-based PDF named Firstname-Lastname-Resume.pdf. Many company portals and Naukri read Word files too.
Where it's read
Naukri, LinkedIn, Foundit, Instahyre and Internshala (freshers); company career portals run on Naukri RMS, Workday, Taleo or SuccessFactors.

Resume sample for India

A made-up person, in the layout described on this page. Build yours with any CVEmber template and download it as a PDF.

Resume sample (3 years, accounts)

Kavya Reddy

Accounts Executive · GST, TDS and month-end close · 3 years

Hyderabad, Telangana · +91 98xxx xxxxx · kavya.reddy@example.com

Notice period: 30 days · Languages: English, Telugu, Hindi

Summary

  • Accounts Executive with 3 years in a manufacturing company: GST and TDS returns, vendor reconciliation and month-end close in Tally Prime and SAP FICO. Closed books two days faster by moving reconciliations to a weekly routine.

Work experience

  • Accounts Executive, Sri Venkateswara Polymers Pvt Ltd, Hyderabad · Jun 2023–present
  • • File monthly GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B and quarterly TDS returns for two GSTINs, with no late filings in 3 years.
  • • Reconcile 180 vendor accounts monthly; recovered ₹6.4 lakh in duplicate payments in FY 2024-25.
  • Accounts Trainee, K. Rao & Associates (Chartered Accountants), Hyderabad · Jul 2022–May 2023
  • • Prepared working papers for 12 statutory audits and assisted with income-tax returns for 60 clients.

Education

  • B.Com (Honours), Osmania University · 2022 · CGPA 8.1/10
  • CA Intermediate, Group I cleared · 2024

Skills

  • Tally Prime, SAP FICO, GST and TDS compliance, bank and vendor reconciliation, Excel (VLOOKUP, pivot tables)

The sections, in the order Indian recruiters read them

  1. Name and contact. Phone with +91, a professional email, city and state, and your LinkedIn URL. No full address.
  2. Summary or objective. Experienced: a three-line summary with your role, years and one number. Freshers: a two-line career objective naming the role you want.
  3. Work experience. Most recent first. Company, designation, city and dates (month and year), then two to four bullet points that start with a verb and end with a result.
  4. Education. Degree, college, university, year and CGPA. Freshers put education before experience.
  5. Skills. The tools and skills in the job advert, written the way the advert writes them (Excel, SAP, Java, Tally).
  6. Projects, internships, certifications. Essential for freshers; a line or two for everyone else.
  7. Personal details. Languages, and date of birth only if asked. Skip father's name, marital status and religion unless a government form requires them.
  8. Declaration. One sentence, place, date and name, where the employer expects it.

A simple resume format for any job

The simplest format that works for most Indian jobs: your name and contact at the top, a three-line summary, work experience with your latest job first, education, and one line of skills. One column, standard headings, no tables or icons. It reads cleanly on every portal and prints well. Start on a Simple template and add sections only when you have something to put in them. More, with a sample: simple resume format.

Resume format for a job application

For a specific job, keep the same format and change the words: put the job title in your summary, move the most relevant role or project up, and use the skills exactly as the advert writes them. Keep one master resume and save a tailored copy for each job you apply to.

Best resume format: chronological, functional or hybrid?

Use reverse-chronological for almost every Indian job: it is what recruiters and hiring software expect. A hybrid (skills first, then experience) helps career changers and people returning after a break. Avoid a purely functional resume with no dates; Indian recruiters read missing dates as a gap.

Your resume on Naukri and company portals

Naukri recruiters search by keywords, so your resume headline on the portal and the skills on your resume should use the words in the jobs you want. Company portals built on Naukri RMS, Workday, Taleo or SuccessFactors read your PDF into fields; a single-column layout with standard headings (Experience, Education, Skills) reads cleanly. Check yours with the free ATS checker.

Common mistakes on Indian resumes

  • Three pages for two years of experience. Cut school marks, hobbies and old training first.
  • “Hardworking, sincere, team player” with no proof. Replace each with a number.
  • Salary on the resume. Give current and expected CTC on the application form or when HR asks.
  • Aadhaar, PAN or passport numbers. They are identity documents, not screening details.
  • A two-column template with icons for a company portal: the software can read it out of order.

Resume, CV or biodata?

In India “resume” and “CV” mean the same one-to-two page document. A biodata is the older format with more personal details, still asked for by some government offices and traditional employers.

Sources

Checked on 28 September 2026. Employers and portals change what they ask for, so always follow the job advert first.

FAQ

Questions, answered.

What is the best resume format for India?

Reverse-chronological: your latest job first, then earlier ones, then education and skills. One page for freshers, up to two for experienced roles, with a notice-period line and an optional declaration.

Should I put a photo on my resume in India?

It's optional. Many employers don't need one; some Indian employers and government forms ask for one. Follow the job advert, and use a plain professional headshot if you add one.

Is a declaration necessary on a resume?

Not for most private companies. Government, PSU and some traditional employers expect it. It's one sentence with place, date and your name; CVEmber adds it when you switch it on.

Should I mention my CTC on my resume?

No. Give current and expected CTC on the application form or when the recruiter asks. Keeping it off the resume leaves room to negotiate.

How many pages should an Indian resume be?

One page for freshers and early-career roles; two pages is common once you have several years of relevant experience. Longer only for senior, academic or research roles.

Should I write CGPA or percentage?

Write what your university awards, with the scale: CGPA 8.4/10, or 78%. Class X and XII are usually percentages. Freshers include all three; experienced people can drop school marks.

Which file format should I send?

A text-based PDF, unless the portal asks for Word. Name it Firstname-Lastname-Resume.pdf so the recruiter can find it.

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