Don’t Forget: A Checklist for Your Resume

Amanda Clark — May 31, 2017 Follow @GrammarChicInc

You’ve slaved away crafting what you think is the perfect resume. It shows how you’ve progressed throughout your career and what you have to offer to your next employer. But before you send it off, it’s time to give it one more once-over to make sure there’s nothing you’ve missed. It’s easy to overlook things when you’ve been working on your resume for a long period of time. Take a break and come to it with fresh eyes, an open mind, and your resume checklist in hand.

Appearance

• Is your resume pleasing to the eye with a good balance of white space?
  
• Have you used bullet points instead of large blocks of text?
  
• Is the font easy to read and professional looking?
  
• Have you incorporated horizontal lines and bolding to break up sections for easier scanning?
  
• Is formatting consistent throughout?

Contact Information

• Is all of your contact information accurate? Are you sure?
  
• Do you have a professional email address such as yourname@gmail.com? (Save purpleplatypus@aol.com for personal use.)
  
• Have you included the easiest number for an employer to reach you?
  
• Is your name at the top of subsequent pages?

Content

• Do you have a strong summary of qualifications to start that clearly shows who you are and what you have to offer?
  
• Do you have a list of relevant keywords and competencies?
  
• Are there metrics to quantify your accomplishments?
  
• Do your bullet points focus on achievements instead of responsibilities?
  
• Have you excluded any personal information such as age, marital status, or headshot?
  
• Does all of the information serve a purpose? (If not, cut the fluff.)
  
• Are all of your degree, certifications, and licenses included?
  
• Have you added meaningful volunteer experience or professional development?
  
• Have you carefully proofed every sentence and word for grammar and spelling mistakes? (And not just relied on spellcheck.)

You want to ensure that your resume is presenting you in a positive, accurate light. Taking the time to carefully review every aspect from format and writing style to content and metrics is essential. The last thing you want to do is lie (even inadvertently) on your resume or turn off employers by having careless mistakes.

Once you’re satisfied with your resume, save it with a purposeful name. Titling it simply “resume” means potentially getting lost in the shuffle. Always include your name and maybe even job. For instance, “Resume.JSmith” or “Resume.JSmith.MarketingSpecialist”.

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