Resume format for Indian companies — done right
The exact structure that works across IT services, product companies, BFSI, and PSUs — section order, what to include, what to drop (photo, CGPA, declarations), and the ATS rules that decide whether you get shortlisted. Then build it free.
The standard section order
Top to bottom — the structure Indian recruiters and ATS expect
Header
Name, phone, professional email, city, and LinkedIn/GitHub as plain text. A photo is optional in India and best left off for ATS-screened corporate roles.
Professional summary
2–3 lines stating your role, years of experience, and strongest skills. Replaces the dated "career objective" for experienced candidates.
Key skills
A clean list of technical and functional skills, spelled exactly as job descriptions phrase them — the densest keyword zone for the ATS.
Work experience
Reverse-chronological, each role with title, company, dates, and 3–5 quantified bullets. Lead with impact, not duties.
Education
Degree, institution, year, and CGPA or percentage where relevant. Freshers should place this above experience.
Projects, certifications & extras
Projects (vital for freshers and tech roles), certifications, and relevant achievements. Keep it tight and relevant.
Include
- A professional email and a single phone number
- CGPA / percentage for freshers and recent grads
- Quantified achievements (revenue, %, scale, time saved)
- Keywords matched to each specific job description
- A clean, single-column, ATS-readable layout
Skip (outdated in India)
- Photo, date of birth, marital status, and full address
- Father's/spouse's name and other personal details
- "Declaration" lines and handwritten-signature blocks
- Multi-column or graphic templates that break the ATS
- A generic objective reused for every application
Tune the format to the company type
Same base resume, different emphasis
IT services (TCS, Infosys, Wipro)
Conservative single-column format, clear skills matrix, project summaries; heavy ATS screening.
Product & startups (Flipkart, Zomato, CRED)
Tight one-page resume, quantified impact, ownership framing; GitHub/portfolio for tech.
BFSI & consulting
Formal tone, credentials and certifications up front, achievements in business terms.
PSUs & government
Detailed, conventional format; education and qualifications emphasised; follow the prescribed structure where given.
Indian resume format — FAQ
What is the standard resume format for Indian companies?
The standard format is a single-column, reverse-chronological resume with: header (name and contact), professional summary, key skills, work experience with quantified bullets, education with CGPA/percentage where relevant, and projects or certifications. Keep it ATS-readable — no tables, columns, or graphics — and tailor the keywords to each job description. This structure works across IT services, product companies, BFSI, and most Indian employers, all of which rely heavily on ATS screening.
Should I put a photo on my resume for Indian companies?
For most corporate and IT roles in India, no. A photo is optional and can cause problems: it adds nothing the ATS can read, can introduce bias, and may break parsing in some systems. Leave it off for ATS-screened roles. The exceptions are specific fields like aviation, hospitality, or modelling where a photo is conventionally expected — and some traditional "bio-data" formats, which are different from a modern resume.
Should I include CGPA and personal details on an Indian resume?
Include CGPA or percentage if you are a fresher or have under ~3 years of experience, since academics still matter early on; experienced professionals can drop it. Leave out personal details that were common in older Indian formats — date of birth, marital status, father's name, full address, and declaration lines. They take up space, add no value to recruiters, and are not expected on a modern professional resume.
Is the resume format different for IT companies vs startups in India?
The fundamentals are the same — single column, ATS-readable, quantified bullets — but emphasis differs. IT services companies favour a conservative format with a clear skills matrix and project summaries. Product companies and startups prefer a tight one-page resume with strong ownership and impact framing, and value a GitHub or portfolio link for technical roles. CV Prime lets you tailor the same base resume to each company type by pasting the job description.
How do I make sure my resume format passes the ATS at Indian companies?
Use a single-column layout with standard section headings, a detailed skills section, consistent dates, and a text-based PDF export — and match the job description's keywords. Avoid tables, columns, images, and decorative fonts. The reliable way to confirm it works is to score your resume against the specific JD: CV Prime checks your keyword coverage and flags format problems, so you know it will parse before you apply.
Get the format right, automatically
CV Prime builds your resume in the format Indian companies expect — and tailors it to each role. Free to start.
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