Dream Resume VS Real Resume

Introduction

A resume is often the first impression you make on recruiters, professors, or industry professionals. For a B.Tech 1st-year student, it might feel “too early” to build one, but in reality, creating a resume right from the first year has multiple advantages:

• It helps you track your growth semester by semester.

• You’ll be ready for early internships, hackathons, or research opportunities.

• It keeps you focused on what skills, certifications, or projects you should pursue.

But here’s the catch: students should make not just one resume but two versions – a real resume (what you currently have) and a dream resume (what you aspire to achieve). This way, you can visualize your long-term goals and align your efforts toward them.

Resume Sections (Things to be included in Resume)

A standard resume contains the following sections:

1. Header (Name, Location, Email, Phone No., Website Link, GitHub Link) – Recruiters need to know who you are and how to reach you.

2. Career Objective / Summary (optional) – A short statement about your career direction

3. Education – Academic background with GPA/percentages and Year.

4. Skills – Technical and soft skills relevant to your field.

5. Projects – Hands-on work showcasing your abilities.

6. Internships / Work Experience – Practical exposure, even if small-scale or freelance.

7. Certifications / Courses – Online courses, workshops, bootcamps.

8. Extracurriculars / Achievements – Leadership roles, hackathons, competitions.

NOTE: For a 1st-year B.Tech student, the most important sections are Skills, Projects, and Certifications.

Resume Template: Click here to see the resume template

Dream Resume

A dream resume represents your ultimate career vision. It includes everything you want to achieve in the next 5 years. Think of it as a destination roadmap.

For example, if your dream role is Senior Software Developer at a top tech company with a salary of 50 Lakh+ per year, your dream resume might look like this:

1. Header – Professional LinkedIn, GitHub, Portfolio Website along with Name, email and phone number.

2. Career Objective – “To leverage advanced expertise in software development, cloud computing, and AI to build scalable systems impacting millions of users.”

3. Education – B.Tech with 8+ CGPA.

4. Skills – Advanced programming (Java/Python/Go/C++), System Design, Cloud Platforms (AWS/ GCP), Data Structures & Algorithms

5. Projects – Scalable web apps, open-source contributions, AI/ML projects with real-world impact.

6. Work Experience – Multiple internships, research assistantships, and part-time development roles.

7. Certifications – AWS Certified Developer, Google Cloud Professional, Machine Learning Specializations.

8. Achievements – International hackathon wins, published research papers, leadership in coding clubs.

This dream resume sets a clear benchmark. It answers: Where do I want to see myself in 5 years?

Real Resume

Your real resume is what you have today in your 1st year. It may look minimal but it’s the foundation.

Typical sections in a 1st-year resume:

1. Header – Basic contact info + LinkedIn.

2. Career Objective – “Seeking opportunities to learn, grow, and apply programming skills through internships and projects.”

3. Education – Current semester, school achievements.

4. Skills – C programming, basic Python, HTML/CSS, problem-solving.

5. Projects – Small assignments like a personal portfolio website, mini C programs, or hackathon participation.

6. Certifications – FreeCodeCamp, Coursera, or Udemy beginner courses.

7. Extracurriculars – College clubs, volunteering, or competitions.

The gap between this real resume and the dream resume is the journey you’ll cover over 4 years.

How to enhance each section over time:

• Skills → Move from basic programming to advanced DSA, cloud, AI/ML.

• Projects → Start with mini-projects, then move to large-scale apps, open-source contributions.

• Work Experience → Start with campus internships, then progress to big tech internships.

• Certifications → Begin with free/beginner-level, then upgrade to professional certifications.

• Achievements → Join hackathons early, aim for national/international recognition later (not really a necessity in IGDTUW)

Outro

Your resume is not just a document; it’s your career growth tracker. As a 1st-year student, you might feel your real resume looks empty compared to your dream resume, but that’s the whole point.

Think of the dream resume as your destination and the real resume as your starting point. Every course, project, internship, and skill you gain will fill the gap between the two.

So, start now. Write your real resume honestly, and design your dream resume ambitiously. Then, work every semester to close that gap. By the time you graduate, your dream resume won’t just be a vision. It will be your reality.