Resume Checklist

Before you use this handout, use the Creating an Effective Resume handout.  

 

I researched: □ The job position.

□ The company.

□ Whether I need a resume or a C.V.

□ If I need to write a cover letter.

□ Resume samples in my field/industry.

□ Current resume trends.

I considered:

□ Which samples are appropriate for my industry and resume.

□ Which trends are appropriate to use in my own resume based on my research.

□ The credibility, accuracy, and recency of my sources.

□ What my audience might value and expect.

□ Which content sections I want to include.

□ Which content sections will make my resume most effective.

□ Adding skills, memberships, honors and awards, and/or references.

□ How my overall organization strategy makes my resume effective for the job position.

□ How to organize the information within each content section.

□ What a different organization could bring to my resume.

□ How my formatting and design fit with my industry.

□ How my formatting and design fit with the job position and company.

□ How my formatting and design emphasizes important information.

□ If my resume layout and design choices make it easy to locate important information.

I included:

□ Experience tailored to fit with this specific job description.

□ Content that shows I researched the company.

□ Content related to the company goals.

□ Content that accurately reflects my skills and experience.

□ Skills that can apply beyond a job position to the current application (i.e., transferable

skills).

□ My contact information for this job position.

I was consistent with: □ My formatting and design choices.

□ The way I describe my experiences.

□ Using the same verb tense.

□ My sentence structure.

I avoided:

□ Constantly repeating words in sentences.

□ Including content from high school (unless I am a freshman).

□ Overselling and underselling myself.

□ Including any unrelated, non-transferable information.

□ Using keywords that the company is not looking for.

□ Using a design strategy that is not appropriate for my field/industry.

I remembered to: □ Make the resume short, clear, and direct.

□ Proofread my resume.

□ Ask someone else for their opinion on my resume.