Published in: Resume Writing Guidance

Indian Resume Guidelines for 2026

Author Proresumes Team

Published on: February 25, 2026

Searching for an ideal job in the competitive job market in India?

Explore this guide and learn the Asian resume standards to optimize an Indian resume for better career chances.

Related: What are the Guidelines for writing a Pakistani Resume? 

What is the name used for a job application by the Indians?

The document name that is mostly used for a job application in India is a resume or CV. The word resume is used in the same context for job applications in America.

Meanwhile, CV is the short form of the word Curriculum Vitae. It is a Latin word and means the course of life. The word is used to refer to a job application document because it accounts for an individual’s career journey.

Regional resume standards followed by Indians

India is a part of the Southeast Asian region. The Indian job market follows a combination of Western and Asian resume standards, which include the following:

Resume Length

The length of the Indian resume is different from the Western resume standards. Unlike Western recruiters who prefer a one-page resume, Indian recruiters prefer a detailed career account. 

The hiring managers in India prefer resumes that are at least two pages. However, the best way to decide on resume length is to assess the applicant’s experience.

Job applicants with less than five years of working experience should stick to a one-page resume. Meanwhile, applicants with at least seven years of experience should use two pages to add major career details.

Career experts suggest adding details regarding each experience since the local Indian recruiters prefer it. But if you’re actively applying and targeting a management, mid-level, or even low-level position in a multinational company or tech sector, you must follow the Western resume length. Applicants who don’t have ten years of expertise should utilize two pages.

Paper Size

The standardized paper size used for the Indian resumes is A4. This German standard for resume papers is used by almost every Asian country due to the following reasons:

• It is easy to share.
• It is easy to print.
• It works with various devices.

Moreover, the dimensions used for the resumes in India are:

• Inches: 8.27 x 11.69
• Millimeters: 210 x 297
• Centimeters: 21.0 x 29.7

Resume Format

The widely used Indian resume format is the reverse-chronological format. Moreover, it helps the recruiter in analyzing the applicant’s recent details at the top of the sections. It helps recruiters and hiring managers in analyzing the career progression easily from recent roles to previous roles. Meanwhile, job applicants who don’t have experience often utilize a functional resume format.

Applicants who utilize functional resumes emphasize their skills over work expertise. These professionals are either students or those who want to switch careers.

Moreover, many professionals and jobseekers who want to take the benefits of both the reverse-chronological and functional resume format use hybrid resumes. This Indian resume format is used to emphasize both the professional experience and skills of a job seeker. But functional resumes are no longer recommended in 2026.

Which English spellings are standard for an Indian resume?

The language that is used to add a job applicant’s details in a resume in India is Indian English. The Indian version of English is a standardized version that borrows terminology, spellings, or grammar considerations from UK English.

Since India is a multilingual country and has a particular language that represents each province, English is used for official purposes.

Many foreign job candidates who want to work in India are often unaware of Indian English. Career experts advise them to use US English instead of the Indian version. Since multinational organizations follow Western rules, they accept resumes in other standardized versions of English.

Don’t know how to craft your resumes in perfect Indian English? Resume writers at ProResumesare here to resolve all your resume issues. Connect today and get an ATS optimized resume that attracts good career opportunities.

Is it essential to add a professional headshot to an Indian resume?

In many local companies and industrial sectors, submitting a professional headshot with an Indian resume is the norm. Even though photo inclusion in resumes is against the resume guidelines in the UK and the US, it is required in India.

However, many foreign-affiliated or multinational organizations don’t require an applicant’s photo since they follow Western resume standards.

Here’s a list of photo inclusion guidelines for the resumes in India:

1. Applicants should use a passport-sized picture.
2. The picture should maintain an approachable, yet professional look.
3. The applicant or jobseeker should be dressed professionally, preferably in dark clothes.
4. The photo should be placed in the top-right corner of a resume.
5. The applicant should ensure the high-resolution quality of the picture.

Are references included by job seekers in an Indian resume?

References aren’t a part of the Indian resumes for most of the job positions in multinational organizations. Moreover, many applicants avoid adding the references directly to resumes and add the phrase “references available upon request”.

However, if job candidates have space in their resumes that can’t be utilized for any relevant detail, they can include references. It is preferred by various local Indian hiring managers.

Moreover, the job applicants can also prepare a separate references list that can be submitted later during the hiring process. The details that are a part of the references section include:

• Reference full name
• Reference occupation
• Reference organization
• Reference phone number
• Reference email address
• Reference and Applicant’s relationship

What are the essential parts of an Indian resume in 2026?

The main resume sections that are mostly included in Indian resumes are the following:

Contact and Personal Information

The first section of resumes in India contains essential contact and personal details of the applicant which are:

• Full name of the candidate
• Email address of the candidate with a professional domain
• Active phone number of the candidate
• LinkedIn or other social networking sites links
• Website portfolio link
• GitHub profile for software engineering candidates

Following is a list of optional details in the Indian resumes that are often required by local companies:

• Profile picture
• Marital status
• Father’s name
• Religion
• Nationality
• Age
• Gender

Note: In India, job applicants have to include their father’s name in the resume when applying for government roles.

Objective statement

The objective statement in the resumes in India is also known as a resume objective. This statement is different from the professional summary for the following reasons:

• It emphasizes the applicant’s career goals.
• It helps the recruiter understand the applicant’s perspective and expectations from the job.

Meanwhile, the professional summary consists of 3 to 5 lines and adds the following points:

1. Main skills
2. Main achievement
3. Working experience
4. Future goals

Pro Tip: The Indian hiring managers expect to see a resume objective in the applicant’s resume instead of a summary.

Work Experience

The work expertise section in a resume in India is structured reverse-chronologically and follows the Western resume standards.  It includes the details like:

• Name of the organization
• Location of the organization
• Dates of employment
• Work position or Job title
• Main work duties during each tenure
• Minimum three bullet points to list every experience
• Focus on quantified achievements and results
• Use the STAR method to structure bullet points

Education

The education section is often placed above the experience section in many CVs or resumes in India. However, a job applicant should place the one that best suits their capabilities.

Moreover, the education section also follows the Western standards and includes details like:

• Name of educational institutes
• Location of education institutes
• Name of the Degree or educational program
• Years attended in proper date format
• Add CGPA if it’s above 3.5
• Include secondary educational results for freshers

Technical skills

The hiring managers in India give preference to hard skills and expect a separate section for technical skills in the resumes, unlike Western resumes that utilize the skills section to add both categories, soft skills and hard skills.

The section of technical skills focuses on measurable skills that include software, methodologies, tools, and more.

Note: This section of a resume in India doesn’t include any soft or interpersonal skills.

Additional Sections

Following is a list of some sections that can be utilized to fill the extra space in an Indian resume:

• Hobbies and Interests: This section is used by freshers or people with minimal work experience.
• Soft Skills: This section is used to highlight any soft skills that are required for a job.
• Volunteer work: Adding volunteering experience as a fresher helps in building a good impression.
• Certifications: Indian hiring managers prefer candidates who have credible and professional certifications.
• References: This section should only be included to fill any extra space or to list a credible connection.
• Languages: Indian recruiters prefer candidates who are fluent in the following languages:
• Hindi
• English 
• Tamil
• Telugu
• Marathi

How to format and maximize the impact of an Indian resume in 2026?

Here’s a list of some advice that can help Indian job seekers in optimizing their resumes:

• Avoid adding personal information like an identity card number.
• Avoid using resume objectives or introductory statements when applying for multinational companies.
• Always tailor and optimize your resume according to the targeted job requirements.
• Avoid excessive technical jargon and keep the resume structure concise.
• Add language proficiency in one or two regional languages for local jobs.
• Use professional and recommended resume fonts like Calibri and Garamond for the resume content and headings.
• Always save the resume in PDF format to avoid parsing issues.

Explore the resume standards in various Asian countries through ProResumes.