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Blog Career & Leadership Development

Resume Readiness Checklist


Friday, November 23, 2018

blog-20-must-know-resume-tips

Writing a resume can feel daunting at times. Every recruiter wants to see something different. There isn’t one correct way to write a resume because every industry focuses on different concepts in a resume. However, following some common rules will help your resume stand out.

Will your resume hold up under the scrutiny of a potential employer? If you can check off each of the following, the answer is YES!

  • All of my resume statements support my job objective.
  • The organization of my experiences is immediately obvious and meaningful. The reader can scan all the key points in seconds.
  • All of my experiences are described with convincing examples or details.
  • I emphasized my most important transferable skills, the ones closest to the job I want.
  • I did not repeat the same experience in different parts of the resume. Instead, when my experiences are combined, they give a full, well-rounded picture of my abilities.
  • I have conveyed my personality and individual strengths and interests.
  • It’s obvious that I’m enthusiastic about what I want to do.
  • The word “I” doesn’t appear on my resume.
  • Sentences begin with action words whenever possible, and I’ve added adjectives where appropriate to convey depth and scope of experience.
  • My resume format doesn’t look cramped. There’s a balance of white space and words.
  • I capitalized, underlined, or typed important heading and subheadings in bold.
  • Grammar is correct and consistent throughout (e.g. periods and capital letters are used in the same way).
  • Acronyms, jargon, and abbreviations are used sparingly.
  • My email address is professional and easy to understand.
  • My resume is printed on white or off-white bond paper with black ink.
  • Three other people have read my resume for clarity, grammar, and spelling.

Adapted from Educator’s Job Search, the Ultimate Guide to Finding Positions in Education, an NEA Professional Library Publication