Resume Critique Checklist |
Below is a resume critique checklist designed to help you develop a new resume or ensure that your existing resume is designed correctly -- and effectively engaging the reader.
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First Impression
- Does your resume look like it was developed using a run-of-the-mill resume template? Or is it unique and original?
- Does your resume have a professional format and design or does it look like you simply typed out information on a piece of paper?
- Does your resume have clearly delineated sections and white space? Is your resume easy to read?
- Does your resume accurately reflect your career experience? Is it too long? Is it too short?
- Does your resume include a summary of qualifications so that the reader can quickly ascertain your value as a candidate?
Appearance
- Does your resume design include bolding, bullets and lines to help delineate information and guide the reader’s eyes to the most important content?
- Is there a good balance between text and white space? Does your resume appear crowded?
- Are the left and right margins even?
- Does your resume use an appropriate font and is the font size consistent throughout your resume?
- Is your resume longer than one page? If so, does the second page contain a heading and is the page break formatted correctly?
- Does your resume provide the reader an overall visually appealing presentation?
Resume Sections
- Are all resume sections clearly delineated and labeled?
- Is your resume formatted to provide the reader the most important sections of information first?
- If your resume is a chronological resume is your work history listed in reverse chronological order (most recent job first)?
- If your resume is a functional resume is your most important work experience and skills listed first?
Career Goal
- Have you clearly stated and articulated a career goal or objective?
- Is your career objective near the top of your resume? Is it presented in such a way that it stands out?
- Is your resumed targeted to a specific career goal? (Resumes should not be one-size-fits-all)
- If this is a career change resume, is the career objective clearly stated and does the resume show how past experience qualifies you for your new career goal?
Accomplishments
- Does your resume include meaningful career accomplishments?
- Are the accomplishments specific? Are the accomplishments substantiated by numbers, details and concrete information?
- Are the accomplishments clearly separated from responsibilities?
- Do accomplishment states begin with strong action verbs?
Relevance
- Does your resume have a specific career objective? Is the career objective directly relevant to the hiring managers’ needs?
- Does your entire resume support and substantiate your career goal?
- Does your resume employ action verbs, industry acronyms, and buzzwords? Is the resume keyword rich?
- Does your resume include awards, affiliations, and information that support your career objective, while omitting irrelevant personal information?
Writing Style
- Is your resume written in first-person voice with personal pronouns, such as me, I and my, avoided?
- Is the flow of information logical and easy to understand?
- Is the resume completely free from typos, grammar and syntax errors?
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