The Perfect Resume Checklist

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When you’ve spent days writing a resume, sending it off and hearing nothing is frustrating and discouraging. With hundreds of applications for popular positions, your professional CV could just have been lost in the pile. So you might be asking yourself – what can help me with my resume and make sure it doesn’t get tossed aside?

We’ve prepared a resume checklist to make sure you’re not making obvious mistakes that could be holding you back.

Here we go!

1. Check your contact details

It IS possible to spell your own name wrong, or forget a number in your phone number – making you impossible to call back! Double and triple-check your important contact details

2. Streamline your objective

Whether or not to include an objective is debated, but if you have chosen to include one make sure it is relevant to the role and specific (but not TOO specific). It should highlight what you can offer instead of just being about what you want.

3. Target your industry

Every professional online resume writer knows that your resume should be personalized for the job or sector at hand. If you are applying for different industries, you should have multiple CVs written to market yourself in each one.

4. Highlight your accomplishments

Google’s head of people operations recommends the following format:

Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y] by doing [Z]

For example:

Okay – Responsible for negotiating service contracts with XYZ

Better – Negotiated 30% ($500k) reduction in costs with XYZ to perform post-delivery support

Best – Negotiated 30% ($500k) reduction in costs with XYZ to perform post-delivery support by designing and using results from an online auction of multiple vendors

Go through and see how many of your duties you can improve with this format! Or, use a professional resume editing service to highlight your best qualities.

5. Improve your language

While writing your story and describing your achievements, try to avoid first-person pronouns like “Me” and “I”. Instead, list what was done and achieved with action verbs.

6. Highlight transferable skills

Your other jobs and hobbies could have transferable skills that improve your candidacy. Time management, organization, budgeting, and public speaking are all things to consider. You can leave off the fishing and figure skating, though!

7. Format for maximum effect

While paying for a flashy and colored resume theme is tempting, HR managers can see them as gimmicky (the exception is marketing and design positions). However, careful use of whitespace, tasteful fonts, headings, and bullet points can draw the eye to the most important information.  Check your information is clearly readable and the essentials stand out.

8. Scan like an employer

One of the best tips we’ve heard about how to write resume online is that, on average, potential employers spend only 10 seconds scanning your resume. Get a friend or service to scan your finished work and tell you what stands out and if it’s what’s important.

9. Include a cover letter

A well-written cover letter should be standard unless the posing specifically doesn’t ask for one. The combo with your resume will make you stand out much more than other candidates, especially if you use a cover letter writing service.

10. Proofread!

Grammar and spelling mistakes anywhere in your CV can result in immediate disqualification. The last thing you do before clicking ‘SEND’ is to proofread – twice!

Now, send your resume and be sure – they will call. Wear the suit, paired with confidence and don’t forget to smile!

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