The 10-Step Resume Review

 The 10-Step Resume Review

When an employer first looks at your resume, they will likely scan it for 15 to 30 seconds. Remember that your resume is your "paper handshake" and that it needs to impress the reader so that they will place it in the "yes" pile and maybe even contact you for an interview.

Make sure your resume has the essential elements of an effective resume that gets interviews before you send it out. It is possible to evaluate your resume using the same fundamental criteria used by experts in the field. Not only will this improve its odds of being included to the "yes" pile, but it will also help it climb the stack.

The first thing you should do is check your resume and ask yourself, "Is this the best way to present my work experience?"

Is the style, length, and formality of your resume suitable for the job you're applying for?

Resumes for individuals with five years of experience or more usually range from one to two pages in length. Resumes for executive-level positions can easily exceed three or four pages in length. One page might be plenty for a recent college grad, but two pages is perfectly acceptable, especially if you have relevant work, internship, or volunteer experience.

Resume Format: A chronological, functional, or combination resume is the most typical. Your work experience is highlighted in reverse chronological order on a chronological resume. For best results, make sure that the job titles and/or company names are prominent and pertain specifically to the position you are targeting.

The functional resume downplays the significance of job titles, responsibilities, and dates of employment. The qualifications are arranged according to relevant experience or capabilities. People who are changing careers or have gaps in their employment history often use functional resumes. You should give this style a lot of thought before you use it, since hiring managers have expressed their disapproval of functional resumes. This is because these resumes can be manipulated to conceal or downplay problems in your background.

A hybrid resume combines elements from both the skills and experience sections. The first step is to create an impressive professional profile or qualifications summary that highlights your practical abilities. You can tailor your resume to certain occupations and industries by doing so, and it will help you showcase your greatest qualifications. Listed here is my work history in reverse chronological order, along with my duties and, more significantly, my significant achievements during that time. Expert resume writers often recommend the combination structure to their clients because of how well it sells them to potential employers.

The Curriculum Vita is a fourth kind of résumé that will not be covered extensively in this article. Educatorial qualifications, research and projects, publications, presentations, awards, and honours are the main points of a "CV"—a conservatively styled document that highlights these things. Academic, medical, and scientific disciplines frequently employ this style.

Propriety: As a general guideline, it's wise to write at the same level of formality as the position you're applying for. You can use concise sentences on an entry-level resume. Resumes for managers and executives tend to be more narrative in nature, painting a more comprehensive picture of the applicant's professional achievements and contributions. Such a document will also include the vernacular expected of someone in your position of responsibility.

Step two: contemplate this question: "Is my resume visually appealing and easy to read?"

Has your resume made use of the correct font family and size? The recommended size range is 9–11 points, with a maximum of 12 points, depending on the typeface. Naturally, section heads have the option to be larger. Serif fonts (such Times New Roman, Garamond, or Palatino) are more commonly used by those with higher levels of responsibility when it comes to font type. No more than two fonts should be used in conjunction with each other; for instance, you could use Times for the section headings and Arial for the body text.

Has enough white space been provided in your resume? Your task is to highlight crucial details for the reader to notice. That is exactly what you can achieve by making good use of white space. You should familiarise yourself with the tab, line-spacing, and paragraph settings of your word processor, among other options that you may not often use.

Is the layout of your CV up to scratch? Italics, bullet points, bold, and lines when used sparingly can convey a lot of meaning. Consistent use of them will aid the reader in following your reasoning and will highlight how you've structured your resume.

Visit your neighbourhood bookshop to peruse the newly published resume reference books for fantastic suggestions on modern formats. Resume Magic—Trade Secrets of a Professional Resume Writer, by Susan Britton Whitcomb (JIST Works), is among the greatest that are available. Donald Asher's Bible of Executive Resumes (Ten Speed Press) and Wendy Enelow's Best Resumes for $100,000+ Jobs (Impact Publications) are two excellent resources for ideas at the executive level.

STEP 3: Consider this question: "Is there an engaging introduction to my resume?"

Is the first one-third of your resume devoted to a strong Qualifications Summary or Professional Profile, where you aim to convey the most important details? You should summarise your primary strengths, relevant hard and soft talents, and the overall number of years of experience in your resume. Remember that the rest of your resume ought to back up what you say here.

Is it easy to tell what field, job, or position you're applying for from your resume? Companies are too busy to worry about trying to predict your life goals.

Step 4: Determine, "Does my resume effectively communicate my value to the prospective employer in one or more of the following ways?"

Is it clear from reviewing your résumé how you can contribute to the bottom line? Cut costs or free up time? Address a certain issue? Facilitate easier work? Forge connections? Step up your game? Win over new clients? Keep your current clientele?

All companies want their staff to help them accomplish these tasks, no matter your industry or degree of accountability. If you can demonstrate that you can make a positive impact in at least one of these areas, potential employers will be interested in speaking with you.

Step 5: Determine, "Does my resume contain powerful, concise, accomplishment-oriented writing designed to increase the reader's interest and stimulate a request for a job interview?"

Do you have a targeted resume? Can you use it to further your career or employment? Is it easy to understand and uses appropriate industry-specific jargon for the reader? Were your claims compelling and impactful enough to sell yourself as the best candidate? Does your resume detail concrete achievements that demonstrate problem-solving abilities, steps taken, and outcomes (ideally measurable)?

Do the results back up your goal? That is the most critical question. To rephrase, do they reflect the kinds of actions exhibited by the most successful people in your field?

In the sixth step, you should enquire, "Is irrelevant information excluded?"

Include no personal information (such as age or marital status), give the whole address of your employers (a city and state will do), use personal pronouns (such as "I", "He" or "She"), give explanations for your job changes, list references, or discuss irrelevant hobbies or interests.

Step7: Consider this question: "Does my resume present relevant content in an organised fashion?"

No more than fifteen years of relevant work experience should be included; typically, you should focus on the most recent ten. You can summarise everything that came before, but make an effort to keep the content focused on what you accomplished.

Is the presentation of your employment dates correct? Just use months and years; specificity is usually unnecessary.

Have you provided several points of contact? Your home phone and email should be listed. Also, get an email address immediately if you're not already using one. Put it on your CV to show companies how tech-savvy you are.

Has your background been structured in a backwards chronological manner? Could you please confirm if the rest of your resume is relevant to the job you are applying for?

The eighth step is to ask, "Is my resume free of spelling, punctuation, capitalisation, grammatical, and syntax errors?"

The consensus amongst hiring managers is that a poorly written CV will be rejected out of hand. On the work, they anticipate sloppiness and a lack of attention to detail from you. Have your resume proofread. Get someone you know to look over your CV for typos. Have your mum look over your résumé for errors.

After that, go back to step 8.

Tenth Step: Do it all over again!

Your résumé serves as tangible evidence of your qualifications. This is more than just a resume; it's a marketing tool that highlights your skills and experience to potential employers. The following are some questions to ask while you go over your resume that you wrote on your own. If you have addressed all of the above, you have made great strides in attracting the attention of potential employers.


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