Before you send your resume, do one last resume review.
Companies receive dozens—even hundreds—of applications for the jobs they post. Attention to detail matters, so gain every advantage you can. For starters, review your resume and cover letter for errors before giving them to potential employers. After decades of putting people to work, we’ve seen thousands of mistakes. To help you, we’ve made a quick resume review checklist to help you give your resume the final polish it needs to stand out for the right reasons.
1. My Name Matches.
Variations look sloppy. Ensure that nicknames, middle initials, maiden names, and suffixes are consistent across everything you submit to your potential employer.
2. I Used the Same Font.
Your resume and cover letter should use the same font and font size. Try using styles to ensure consistency. Use a professional font that is easy to read, and save the cute stuff for another time.
3. Everything Aligns.
Look at your resume from a distance. Do all your lines, bullets, and columns align vertically? Is your white space between the lines consistent?
4. I Used the Right Email Address.
Avoid putting a company email address from a different employer on your resume. If your only alternative is something cheesy from the 90s, consider making a new email account that looks more professional.
Email addresses like SuzieGurl83@yahoo.com won’t cut it anymore.
5. I Changed Repeated Words.
Look for words that show up more than once. Select alternatives to avoid boring the resume review board. If you really are creative, don’t tell us three times, but rather show us by using unexpected and inspiring language.
6. I Only Picked the Best Details.
Don’t provide too many bullets under any one heading. Resume reviewers don’t like to read them. It’s better to pick the most pertinent details. You can talk about the rest during your interview.
“Remove references to technology that no one uses any more, even if you’re a whiz at Windows 95.”
7. None of My Skills Are Out of Date.
Remove references to technology that no one uses any more, even if you’re a whiz at Windows 95. Your technical skills and accomplishments should be recent and relevant.
8. I Proofread Everything.
There are many common resume misspellings. Be sure to run spell check on your resume and cover letter. Then, review both documents yourself to catch what spell check can’t. Try reading your documents aloud and having someone else do a resume review as well.
Show us your resume.
Job hunters make a lot of mistakes, but hopefully this checklist will help you create a compelling resume, especially if you follow our other resume advice. We can you help it get into the right hands. Browse our job list to find a competitive position that suits you.