Employers don’t spend much time reading resumes. Most say they spend only 20 – 30 seconds.
That doesn’t give you—the applicant—great odds of being selected for an interview, even if you are a qualified candidate.
In fact, the best candidate often doesn’t get selected for an interview because they haven’t written their resume in a way that makes their qualifications and experience stand out.
Don’t let this happen to you. Here is a simple checklist you should review before pressing the ‘send’ button.
Content
Is your name and contact information clear? Include your email address and a phone number where you can be reached easily. You can omit your civic address.
Do you have a professional-sounding email address? Get rid of old ones from your college days (e.g.
beerdrinker789@gmail.com
).
Is your email address from a professional domain? Discard the vintage ones like Hotmail.
Have you included links to your social media like LinkedIn and Twitter?
Do the dates and employment history on your resume align with those on your LinkedIn profile?
Have you cleaned up any content on your social profiles that present you in an unfavourable light?
Is everything on your resume truthful? Lying on your resume can be grounds for dismissal.
Have you customized your resume to the job and company you are applying for?
Is your career objective (if you include one) written with the company in mind?
Is your work history listed plainly with the full name of the employer, its location, your dates of your employment (full years only) and your job title?
Have you included a short description of what each of your past employers does, if it is not a well-known company?
Have you included your accomplishments and not just a long list of your responsibilities?
Have you listed your most relevant accomplishments first?
Have you removed older work experience (more than 15 years old) that is not applicable anymore?
Is your education listed clearly with most recent shown first?
Have you included all your additional training and professional development that would be relevant to the job?
Have you listed your community involvement and volunteer experience?
Have you included a list of your personal interests outside of work if you think this list will increase your chances of being selected for interview?
Have you avoided use of jargon or abbreviations that might limit the reader’s understanding of your capabilities?
Are there keywords included within your resume in case the employer uses an applicant tracking system to screen resumes?
Format
Is your resume visually appealing?
Have you used a clean, easy-to-read typeface such as Helvetica, Arial, Calibri, Times Roman or Cambria?
Is your font size between 10 and 12 point to make it easier on the reader’s eyes? Have you used this font consistently on your resume and cover letter?
Are your page margins set at 1’’ (or wider) all around to leave plenty of white space and be easier on the reader’s eyes?
Have you used bolding, underlining, initializing, or capitalizing to draw attention to a heading?
Have you used bullets (which are easier to read) to list your accomplishments?
Is your resume an appropriate length? A good resume is two pages in length although no one will object if it goes to a third page.
Have you saved your resume as a PDF before emailing?
Have you saved your resume with a name that makes sense to the receiver? Try using “Resume – your name”
Have you put yourself in the employer’s shoes and read the resume from their perspective?
Lastly, are you sure there are no typos or spelling errors?
