Resume Writing Checklist
A well-written, concise resume is generally the first impression you will make with a prospective employer. The following is a checklist of what you may want to include on your resume to get you toward your next goal — the job interview. This suggested format allows the reader (prospective employer) to focus quickly on your qualifications.
Consider including:
- An Opening : Provide your name, full address and home and work telephone numbers and e-mail address.
- A Synopsis: The three or four (seldom more) technical or specialty areas that you believe are your strongest professional attributes. Only focus on areas that are your strength or where you have actual experience in that area.
- Your Education: Provide your highest and latest degree first. Do not include partial graduate work. Do include appropriate specialized training.
- Your Employment History: Be sure to include dates, company, location, position/title. List your employment in chronological order, beginning with your current or most recent position. It is best to provide the most information about the most recent two years of your work experience. Be certain to address as much of the following as appropriate for your level of experience:
- Responsibilities - If you are currently employed, state what your employer and
your supervisors expect you to accomplish; what you are personally
responsible for; duties you perform on your own versus those you
perform as part of a team; and your management experience.
Managers should include the number and functions of the individuals for whom they manage. A project manager might state that he/she has prime responsibility for "X" project of "Y" dimensions ($$, time frame, technology, objective) with a given number of a given type of people contributing to the project under his/her direction. Be certain to provide evidence of your claims. Statements that clearly demonstrate your contribution to the company's bottom line are best. For example, "Designed and implemented a system that reduced inventory loss in the amount of $$XX over a one-year period while improving employee safety." "Led a proposal team that won a $$ XX research grant from a private foundation and subsequently produced $$XX in annual revenue." -
Working Environment - Give the reader a good feeling for your place in the organization and how you contribute. For example, "Biomedical Technician for a nationally prominent hospital with X beds and X number of employees.
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Accomplishments - Describe substantial achievements that produced financial results or results that contributed to the organization's mission. Be accurate and provide detail. For example, "Selected employee of the month among four hundred peers based on letters of appreciation for service excellence from doctors and nurses" has more meaning than "Selected employee of the Month in October."
Other Helpful Hints
Keep the following in mind when writing or updating your resume:
- Length— Limit your resume to two pages.
- Editing—Start longer and pare down is a good approach. Earlier employment can be summarized and brief. Concentrate on recent (and pertinent) experience.
- Wording—Stress strong action words and phrases such as "responsible for" "designed" "developed" "created" "implement" "solved" "resolved" "managed" "operated" "accomplished" "achieved" etc.
- Layout and Graphics—Keep it simple and think "classic". Create a printed version to mail and an online version to e-mail (upon request). Use fonts that are resident in most computers (Times Roman and Arial are the best) and do not use bolds or italics when e-mailing your resumes.
Final Checklist Before Mailing
- Your resume should be neat, clean and easily understood.
- Proofread thoroughly to make certain there are no typos and your information is accurate.
- Provide the employer with a sense of your potential for meeting their business needs.
- Make sure your resume is clean and free of smudges, paper tears and bent corners.
These suggestions are meant to be a guide. Your resume should be the best expression of your background and talents and are the key to the next level — the interview.