Manara Hub
Workshop #1

Build a Resume That Gets You Noticed

A practical guide for anyone starting, switching, or growing their career

manara-hub-deploy.vercel.app
Welcome

Welcome to Manara Hub's First Workshop

Tonight is about one thing — leaving with a resume that works. Whether you've never written one, been sending one out with no results, or just want to improve, this session is for you.

📄
Understand what makes a strong resume
✍️
Learn to write powerful bullet points
🚀
Leave with a clear action plan
Tonight's Plan

What We'll Cover

  1. 1What recruiters actually look for
  2. 2Resume structure — section by section
  3. 3Writing powerful bullet points
  4. 4Common mistakes to avoid
  5. 5Your personal action plan
Recruiter Reality
6–10
seconds

That's how long a recruiter spends on a first scan. Your resume must be immediately clear, scannable, and relevant.

First impressions happen before they even read a single word.
The Hidden Filter

What is ATS?

Most companies use Applicant Tracking Systems that scan and filter resumes before a human ever sees them. If your resume isn't formatted correctly or missing the right keywords, it may never reach a real person.

✅ ATS-Friendly
  • ✓ Standard headings
  • ✓ Clean fonts (Arial, Calibri)
  • ✓ Keywords from the job description
  • ✓ .pdf or .docx format
❌ ATS-Unfriendly
  • ✗ Tables and text boxes
  • ✗ Graphics and images
  • ✗ Creative design templates
  • ✗ Missing keywords
Pro Tip
💡

Use the Job Description as Your Guide

Copy the job description and look for repeated words and phrases. These are your keywords. Make sure the most relevant ones appear naturally in your resume — especially in your summary and experience sections.

Tailor your resume for every role you apply to.
Resume Structure

The 6 Key Sections

1
📌 Contact Information
2
📝 Professional Summary
3
💼 Work Experience
4
🎓 Education
5
🛠️ Skills
6
➕ Optional Sections
Section 1

Contact Information

✅ Include
  • ✓ Full name
  • ✓ Professional email
  • ✓ Phone number
  • ✓ LinkedIn URL
  • ✓ Location (city/country)
  • ✓ GitHub or portfolio (if relevant)
❌ Leave Out
  • ✗ Photo
  • ✗ Date of birth
  • ✗ Marital status
  • ✗ Full home address
  • ✗ Personal ID numbers
Section 2

Your Professional Summary

3–4 lines at the top of your resume. Tell the recruiter who you are, what you do, and what you bring. Make it specific to the role you're applying for.

[Your background] + [Key skills/experience] + [What you're looking for]
Early Career / Graduate "Motivated Computer Science graduate with hands-on experience in Python and web development. Passionate about building clean, user-focused applications. Seeking a junior developer role where I can contribute and grow."
Career Changer "Marketing professional with 5 years of client-facing experience, now transitioning into data analytics. Completed industry certifications and built independent projects. Bringing strong communication skills to a data-focused role."
Section 3

Work Experience

Job Title  |  Company  |  Location  |  Month Year – Month Year
No formal work experience? Include internships, volunteering, university projects, and freelance work.
Writing Bullet Points

The CAR Method

C
Context / Challenge
What was the situation or task?
A
Action
What did YOU specifically do?
R
Result
What happened because of it? Add numbers if possible.
Every bullet point should tell a mini story.
Before & After

Transform Your Bullet Points

❌ "Responsible for social media"
✅ "Grew company Instagram from 2K to 8K followers in 6 months through a targeted content strategy"
❌ "Helped with customer service"
✅ "Resolved 40+ customer queries daily, maintaining a 95% satisfaction score"
❌ "Worked on a project"
✅ "Led a 4-person team to deliver a system migration project 2 weeks ahead of schedule"
Vocabulary

Start with a Strong Verb

Leadership
Led · Managed · Coordinated · Directed · Oversaw
Achievement
Achieved · Exceeded · Delivered · Improved · Reduced
Technical
Built · Developed · Designed · Implemented · Automated
Communication
Presented · Trained · Wrote · Negotiated · Facilitated
Analysis
Analysed · Evaluated · Researched · Identified · Assessed
What to Avoid

The Most Common Resume Mistakes

❌ Generic objective statement
→ Use a targeted summary
❌ Listing duties, not achievements
→ Rewrite with CAR + numbers
❌ One resume for every job
→ Tailor keywords for each role
❌ More than 2 pages (early career)
→ 1 page if under 5 years experience
❌ Unprofessional email address
→ Use firstname.lastname@gmail.com
❌ No numbers or data
→ Quantify wherever possible
Sections 4 & 5

Skills & Education

🛠️ Skills

Split into Technical (tools, software, languages) and Soft skills (only include if you can back them up with examples).

List as clean comma-separated tags.

🎓 Education

Degree, institution, year.

Include relevant modules, dissertation, certifications.

Add a Certifications section if you have multiple.

Your Turn
✏️

Quick Exercise

Think of ONE thing you've done — at work, university, a volunteering role, or even a personal project.

1
What was the situation or task? (Context)
2
What did you do? (Action)
3
What was the outcome? (Result)

Write it as a bullet point and share it with the person next to you.

Your Homework

4 Steps Before Next Session

1 ✅ Update your contact section and write a new professional summary
2 ✅ Rewrite 3 bullet points using the CAR method — add numbers where possible
3 ✅ Compare your resume against a job description you want to apply for
4 ✅ Share your resume with someone for feedback — or bring it to the next Manara Hub session
Manara Hub

JazakAllah Khair

Thank you for being part of our first workshop.

Keep building. Keep growing. We're here with you every step of the way.

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