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IIM Resume/CV Format for Interviews | IIM Ahmedabad
Updated: Dec 4, 2020
Download CV Format - IIM CV Format
IIM Ahmedabad students create their CV/Resume in a pre-specified format. The IIM Resume is often divided into buckets and it contains spikes (explained ahead). There are many different formats of CV and Resume used across IIMs, here is one of them:
In general, an IIM CV has 5 main buckets (portions):
Academics
Co-Curricular
Internships & Work Experience
Positions of Responsibility
Extra-Curricular
A good CV is considered to be one that is balanced (i.e. has some points in each of the buckets) but there are exceptions in case of spikes (great achievements). Let's understand it better:
Here are some tips for preparing a good CV/Resume for IIM interviews and other internship/job interviews:
1. It should be one-pager: if you’re thinking of adding another page, the only reason should be that one page isn’t sufficient to hold your achievements.
2. It shouldn’t have a photo: it doesn’t serve any purpose.
3. It should be bucketed: achievements should be divided into buckets. Movement of buckets is allowed but follow basic guidelines - don’t put academics at the end, don’t start with extra-curricular achievements.
4. It should be balanced: each bucket should have more or less equal number of achievements to reflect that you are an all-rounder.
5. It should have spikes: spikes refer to extra-ordinary achievements that add value to your candidature. Try that more than one buckets have spikes.
6. It should prioritize better achievements: the more significant the achievement, the higher it appears in a bucket, it need not be chronological.
7. It should contain numbers: add value to your achievements by quoting numbers. For example, AIR-1 in an Olympiad v/s AIR-1 out of 2,00,000+.
8. It should be well-formatted: use bold to emphasize things that are important e.g. ranks, name of a project, Olympiad name, national/international, etc.
Some FAQs:
1. Do IIMs ask for a CV/Resume during the interviews?
Resumes/CVs are not asked for by IIMs in India.This is a critical point that many applicants are unaware of. Please note that once you are given a shortlist from a B-school, you are not expected to share a CV during the interview. In order to maintain consistency among candidates, B-schools ask candidates to fill an application form (also called the interview form), in which they are supposed to share their achievements.
2. Can you take your CV along during the IIM interview? You may, but most likely, they will refuse to see it. This happened to me in my IIM-Ahmedabad Interview. They are bound to maintain consistency among candidates.
3. How to prepare a CV for the B-schools that ask for it? That is what this post will help you in. Please scroll back up and have a look at the CV format I shared (this is one way of presenting your candidature, there are many). Note that on the right-hand side, I’ve written ‘buckets’. Each category of your achievement falls under a certain bucket like extra-curricular achievements, academic achievements, etc. The key is to ensure that there is sufficient fodder for you to fill in each bucket. Great CVs also have spikes in them as mentioned above. This format can be used for internship and job interviews as well.
Download CV Format - IIM CV Format
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Also read: How to boost your CV to make it IIM-ready? and 10 uncommon hacks to frame CV points
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