Resume Critique Checklist
Resumes normally get less than a 15-second glance at the first screening. Before submitting your resume, be sure you can answer “yes” to the following questions:
First Impression
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Is the resume inviting to read, with clear sections and ample white space?
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Does the design look professional rather than like a simple typing job?
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Does the Professional Summary immediately convey that the applicant matches the advertised position?
- Is the length and overall appearance of the resume appropriate given the career level of the advertised position?
Appearance
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Does the resume provide a visually pleasing, polished presentation?
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Is the font simple and easy to read? (e.g. New Times Roman, Arial)
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Are there bullets, bolding, underlining, and line spaces to guide readers' eyes through the document and highlight important content?
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Is there adequate white space so that it does not appear crowded or overwhelm the reader?
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Are margins even on all sides?
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Are design elements such as spacing, indentions and font size used consistently throughout the document?
- If the resume is longer than a page, do subsequent pages contain a heading? Is the page break formatted correctly?
Resume Sections
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Are all resume sections clearly labeled?
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• Are sections placed in an order that highlights the applicant's strongest credentials for the position?
- Is the work history listed in reverse chronological order (most recent job first)?
Career Goal
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Is the resume targeted to a specific position rather than one-size-fits-all document?
- If this is a career change, is that clearly stated in the Professional Summary, along with supporting details showing how past experience is relevant to the new position?
Accomplishments
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Does the resume include a solid listing of career accomplishments?
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Whenever possible, are accomplishments quantified with numbers, percentages, dollar amounts or other concrete measures of success? (e.g. increased participation rates by 40%, realized a $50,000 savings, etc.)
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Do statements begin with strong, varied action verbs?
- Are accomplishments separated from responsibilities?
Relevance
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Is the information relevant to the advertised position description?
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Does the resume's content support the Professional Summary?
- Is applicable additional information, such as awards and affiliations, included, while personal information like marital status, age and nationality unrelated to the job target omitted?
Writing Style
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Is the resume written in an implied first-person voice with personal pronouns, such as I, me and my, avoided whenever possible?
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Is the content flow logical and easy to understand?
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Is narrative reduced and are strong, crisp phrases used in bulleted items?
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Is the resume as perfect as possible, with no careless typos or spelling, grammar or syntax errors? Have you put it away for a few hours or overnight and then do you plan to review it one last time before submitting it? (Remember, spell check does not catch everything.)