Use this checklist to be sure your new resume is as effective as possible…

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Hi Clarity Coaching clients! I developed this 10-minute resume audit for my Resume Coaching clients and thought you might want to use it to make sure your resume is as strong and effective as possible.

 

Review Your Format

• If a reader scanned your resume for 10 to 15 seconds, would they only see information that helps position you for the job you applied to?
• Does your resume use a format that ‘hides’ the unhelpful / irrelevant information in your work experience and education sections?
• Is there too much or too little white-space on your resume to draw viewer eyes to the right content?
• Did you use a standard (not fancy) font (Arial, Verdana, Calibri) with a with a modest font size (9 or 10), and have clearly labeled sections? Don’t use italics on your resume.
• Hold it at arm’s length — does it look attractive or does it look confusing or plain?
• If your resume takes two pages, do you have your name and contact information on the second page (usually the header)?
• Are the page breaks in logical locations, minimizing confusion when the recruiter turns the page
• Is the resume written in an implied first-person voice with personal pronouns, such as I, me and my?
• Have you checked for typographical errors including spelling, punctuation, and word usage? Did you capitalize proper nouns and spell-out
acronyms on first reference?
• Have you an independent person review your resume?

 

Your Content

• Does your resume specify the position you are seeking?
• Is your contact information at the top of the page (name, address, phone #, and appropriate e-mail address)?
• If relevant, have you included helpful links to your personal Web page, professional
portfolio, blog posts, articles and profiles on professional networking sites.
Don’t link to external information that opposes your personal brand or doesn’t add relevant value.
• Does your summary tell the employer why you’re the best candidate for the job, include keywords, passion, value you will add and unique branding?
• Does your skills menu include all of the relevant hard skills in one and two-word phrases segmented into logically related columns?
• Does your ‘teaser copy’ highlight specific examples of relevant value for the types of positions you are targeting?
• Have you included 3^rd party endorsement that personal
bolster your bran?
• For each Work Experience listed:
  • Have you strategically included which experiences to include?
  • If possible, have you included an appropriate job title that the reader will understand and see as relevant?
  • Have you included the company/organization name, dates of employment, and location (city/state)?
  • Have you provided the 30,000 foot big picture, relevant value or challenge you faced in that position… as well as any additional information of value (such as how you got there or why you left)
  • Did you organize each Work Experience using a format that emphasizes your relevant and transferable skills? Did you include specific and/or general benefits relevant to your target?
  • Do bulleted responsibility / skills include past tense action verbs for past jobs and current tense for current job (unless you did something in the past in your current job and are no longer doing)
  • Have you strategically ordered the bullets?
  • Did you explain
any professional awards and why they’re significant?
• Don’t put personal information on your resume, such as your age, marital status, number of children, politics, health status, nationality, etc.
• Does your Education & Training section highlight valuable information and hide irrelevant information? (Exclude degree dates, unless you’re a relatively recent grad)
• Did you include Personal Interests section that makes you ‘likable’? If relevant, have you included volunteer and/or community leadership roles?
• Don’t state that references and additional work history are
available upon request.