Resume Checklist
Format and Design
✅ My resume can easily be read because I use only one appropriate font (e.g., Arial font 11).
✅ My dates are aligned throughout my resume, and this can easily be spotted when quickly scanning my resume.
✅ My degree(s) or job titles are consistently underlined or bolded throughout the document.
✅ My subheadings correctly indicate differences in sections.
✅ My dates are presented throughout the document consistently (e.g., Aug. 2020, August 2020, 2020-08-13)
✅ My resume uses a chronological (preferred), functional or combined approach to showing my relevant experience or skills.
✅ My resume has enough white space to help the document 'breathe'. The margins are consistent throughout the document.
✅ My resume is only one or two pages long.
✅ There are no unnecessary periods or full stops at the end of my bulleted one-liners, as they are not sentences.
✅ There are no extra or missing spaces.
✅ There are fewer than four bullet points for each volunteer or work experience role. The roles that are most relevant to the position have more bullet points than those that are less relevant.
Resume Content
✅ My resume contains personal information, employment history and education sections.
✅ My name uses a larger font than the rest of my resume.
✅ My contact information includes my name, address, phone number and email address. For my address, I have spelled out the Avenue, Road, Court etc.
✅ My email address that I can be reached at looks professional.
✅ I have read my resume from the point of view of my prospective employer. Every word that I have used in my resume is selected to meet a job description's specific essential skill.
✅ My resume content is organized from most relevant to least relevant based on the job description.
✅ When describing my previous experiences, I have started my one-liners with an action verb's past tense. For any current position, whether that is volunteer or work, I have stated my one-liner with the present tense.
✅ The one-liners show my skills and abilities, and wherever possible, I have quantified my achievements. These descriptions are precise (i.e., there is something I am targeting in the job advertisement).
✅ There are no acronyms or clichés. I do not use technical or business jargon my prospective employer will not understand.
✅ The words "me", "I" or "my" do not appear anywhere in my resume.
✅ My resume is written using the active voice.
Resources
