Applying for jobs? Keep this résumé checklist by your side.
Your résumé is one of the most important professional documents you will ever submit. It takes time and effort to create a document that is professional and polished while also being clean, concise, and consistent.
Before you focus on perfecting your document, though, it’s important to understand the goal of a résumé: to showcase your past experiences and skills and get you in the door for an interview.
Now take a look at these nine tips for résumé success:
- Include one page per 10 years of professional experience.
- Format and font guide the reader’s eye, so use bolding, underlining, and italics to highlight each section.
- An objective statement takes up valuable space, so it’s usually best to leave it off.
- Use bullet points instead of paragraphs. A good rule of thumb is 2-5 per section.
- All current positions should be described in present tense.
- Include relevant information for the role and showcase your skills. Don’t list these skills in a separate section.
- Only provide the information requested. Show the hiring manager that you can follow directions.
- Save and send as a PDF document. Always.
- Proofread! Your résumé should be uniquely and professionally you; it should reflect the experience and skills you’ve gained in past roles. Before hitting the submit button, make sure you are confident that it does just that.
