Biodata format for a job in India and the Philippines, with a full sample

A biodata is a short document that lists your personal details, education, skills and any work history, often with a passport-size photo. Some job ads in India still ask for one by name, and in the Philippines “bio-data” comes from older application templates. Some employers use biodata, resume and CV to mean the same thing.

What a biodata means in India

In India, a biodata (short for biographical data) is a one-page document that opens with who you are: name, date of birth, nationality, languages and address. Education, skills and any experience follow, and it often ends with a signed declaration. Freshers, walk-in candidates and some smaller employers still use it. A marriage biodata, the profile families share for marriage proposals, is a different document. This guide is only about biodata for jobs.

Biodata format in the Philippines

In the Philippines, “bio-data” points to an older application style: a personal data block (birthday, civil status, religion, height, weight, parents' names), then education, work history and character references. Most private employers now expect a resume instead, so check what the job ad asks for.

Government jobs work differently. Applicants fill in CS Form No. 212, the Personal Data Sheet of the Civil Service Commission (CSC). The CSC publishes the current version on its website. A biodata or a resume does not replace it, and CVFalcon does not make it.

Biodata vs resume: which to send

Start with the job ad. If it says biodata, send a biodata. If it says resume or CV, send a resume. If it does not say, send a resume with the same facts. A biodata opens with personal details in a fixed order. A resume opens with a summary and your experience or education, and keeps personal details to contact lines.

Send a biodata when:

• The ad, recruiter or college placement cell asks for a biodata by name.
• You hand over a printed copy at a walk-in interview or to a small local employer.
• The employer sends its own form. Fill in theirs instead of your own layout.

Send a resume or CV when:

• The ad says resume or CV, or you apply through a job portal, LinkedIn or a company website.
• The employer is a multinational, a BPO or IT firm, or a company abroad.
• You have work experience, because a resume puts it first.

Sections of a biodata for a job

The usual order:

1. Header: name, the post you are applying for, mobile, email, city and, if wanted, a passport-size photo.
2. Career objective: one or two lines naming the post and one real strength.
3. Personal details: see the next section.
4. Education: highest first, with institution, year and percentage or CGPA. Freshers in India usually list graduation, Class XII and Class X.
5. Experience: internships, training, part-time and family business work, with dates and what you did.
6. Skills and certifications: software, typing speed for clerical posts, short courses with the year. In the Philippines, add any PRC licence or TESDA certificate.
7. Languages known: each language and how well you speak, read and write it.
8. Hobbies: one line, only if it adds something.
9. Declaration, place, date and signature, if the employer wants a signed copy.

Personal details: what is customary and what to leave off

The personal block is what makes a biodata a biodata, and it is easy to put in too much. Include a line only if the ad or form asks for it, or the employer needs it to contact or verify you.

In India

• Customary: date of birth, gender, nationality, languages known and address. Marital status and father's name appear on many older biodata and government forms, but most private employers do not need them.
• Leave off: Aadhaar, PAN, passport and bank account numbers, which employers usually collect after an offer. Religion, caste and category belong on a form that asks for them, not on a general biodata.

In the Philippines

For a private job, most lines of the old personal data block can go, and government ID numbers such as SSS and TIN should stay off. The guide below has the full list of what to keep and cut.

Photo

A recent passport-size photo is customary in India, and a 2x2 photo is common in the Philippines. Use a plain background and formal clothes, or skip it if the ad does not ask.

Sample biodata for a fresher

Here is a complete biodata for a commerce graduate in Pune applying for an accounts assistant job. Every detail, including the numbers, is made up.

• Header: Neha Patil, applying for Accounts Assistant. +91 98555 01234, neha.patil@mail.com, Pune, Maharashtra. Passport-size photo beside the name.
• Career objective: B.Com graduate seeking an accounts assistant post, with a two-month internship in TallyPrime, GST invoicing and bank reconciliation.
• Personal details: date of birth 14 August 2005; gender female; father's name Suresh Patil; marital status single; nationality Indian; languages known English, Hindi and Marathi.
• Education: B.Com, Savitribai Phule Pune University, 2026, 74%. Class XII (Commerce), CBSE, 2023, 81%. Class X, CBSE, 2021, 86%.
• Internship: Accounts Intern, Joshi and Associates, chartered accountants, Pune, June to July 2025. Entered about 30 invoices a day in TallyPrime, matched bank statements to the ledger and prepared GST return data.
• Skills: TallyPrime, MS Excel (VLOOKUP, pivot tables), GST basics, typing speed 40 words per minute.
• Certifications: TallyPrime with GST, three-month course, 2025.
• Hobbies: Reading and badminton.
• Declaration: I declare that the details above are true to the best of my knowledge. Place: Pune. Signature.

It fits on one page. Father's name and marital status are the two lines to drop if the ad does not ask for them. A Philippine version would use short bond paper and end with “References available on request”.

Send a PDF named like Neha-Patil-Accounts-Assistant-Biodata.pdf. A Word file can shift when it opens on another device.

How to make a biodata PDF in CVFalcon

CVFalcon builds a clean resume layout that you fill with biodata content. Work down the form:

1. Enter your name, email, phone and city, and the post you are applying for as the job title. Nationality and driving licence have their own optional fields, in the “Nationality, visa and licence” section.
2. Add your photo and pick a template that shows a photo. The editor tells you when the template has none.
3. Write the career objective in the summary, in two or three lines.
4. Add one education entry per qualification, with the percentage or CGPA in its details.
5. Put internships, training and part-time work under experience.
6. Fill in skills, languages and certifications. Hobbies go under interests.
7. Choose A4 for India or Letter (short bond) for the Philippines, check the preview says one page, and download the PDF.

The editor has no fields for date of birth, marital status, religion, father's name or height. If an employer asks for those lines, put them in the summary as one plain line, such as “Date of birth: 14 August 2005. Marital status: single.”, or in a short note in the email that carries your PDF. There is no field for the declaration either. For a signed copy, print the PDF, write the declaration under your details and sign it by hand.

Building and previewing is free, with no sign-up. Downloading the PDF needs the one-time Pass: $9, or $3.99 in India and the Philippines.