Step One: Hold your resume at arm’s length and see how it looks. Is important information quick and easy to find? Is the page interesting with different type styles, sizes, lines, or boxes? Is the information wellspaced, not crowded on the page? Is there enough “white space?”

Step Two: Once your resume has passed the “arm’s length” test, use this checklist to review your resume:

Format, design, and appearance (particularly paper resumes)

• Resume is inviting and easy to read.
• No more than two typestyles appear on the resume and the typestyles are conservative.
• Font sizes are kept between 10-14 points.
• Bold, italics, and underlining are kept to a minimum and used consistently.
• Margins and line spacing keep the page from looking too crowded.
• Printing is on one side of the sheet only, on high-quality bond paper (white or off-white).
• Resume is appropriate length—preferably one page, but it’s better to use two than to cram too much information on a single page.

Organization

• Your best assets are listed first.
• The resume can be easily reviewed, categories are clear, and text is indented.
• The dates of employment are easy to find and consistently formatted.

Writing style

• Sentences or phrases begin with powerful action verbs.
• Each paragraph or sentence is short.
• Text contains brief, succinct language with no unnecessary words.
• Text includes absolutely no errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, or typos.

Content

• Name is at the top of the page, highlighted by slightly larger type size, bold, or italics font.
• All entries highlight a capability or accomplishment.
• Verb tense is consistent (current jobs in present tense, past jobs in past tense).
• Repetition of words or phrases is kept to a minimum.
• Capitalization, punctuation, and date formats are consistent.

Content Information

• Correct address(es), current and permanent (if necessary).
• Telephone number(s) where you can be reached 9-5.
• Job Objective (Optional)
• Briefly indicated the sort of position, title, and possible area of specialization you want.
• Language is specific, employer centered not self-centered; avoids broad or vague statements.

Education and Training

• Highest level of education or training is listed first from most current degree backward; includes type of degree, name and location of university, date or anticipated date of graduation.
• List of other degrees, relevant higher education coursework, continuing professional education or training courses, and study abroad.
• Major, minor, or areas of concentration.
• Omit high school if you have completed more than two years of college, unless referencing impressive honors or relevant extracurricular activities.
• Relevant courses, papers, projects; include paper or project titles.
• GPA (if higher than 3.0), honors, awards, and scholarships.
• Percentage of educational expenses earned.

Employment History

• Includes all paid, volunteer, intern, or cooperative education experiences that are relevant to your objective. Start with the most recent experience if using chronological format.
• Title held, organization name, city, state, or country location (if not the United States).
• Dates of each position; if several positions for one employer, list employer once.
• Responsibilities listed in order of each item’s relative value to the future employer; indicate transferable skills and adaptive abilities used on the job.
• Accomplishments on your job. What problems did you face? What solutions did you find
• Contributions to the organization, such as how your work helped increase profit, funding, motivation, efficiency, productivity, quality, saved time or money; improved programs, management, communication, or information flow.
• Quantitative or qualitative examples that describe the results of your contributions or accomplishments.
• Learning that took place on the job that is relevant to your job objective (optional).

Skills and Abilities

• Computer skills: software applications, languages, hardware, operating systems.
• Language skills: fluency and ability to read and write at basic, intermediate, or advanced levels.
• Anything else related to your targeted position.

• List of significant positions of responsibility; include title, name of organization or team, and dates.
• Leadership roles, achievements, and transferable skills that are relevant.
• Hobbies and personal interests (only if they are relevant).

• Does it clearly and quickly communicate to employers that you can do the job?
• Do your strengths in relation to the position come across?
• Should anything be removed?
• Does it sell you?
  
  

By CESER, the Center for Employment Education and Research