Resume Checklist

• Communicate enthusiasm to work and commitment to make a contribution to the world of work.
• Use the format that best emphasizes your abilities: chronological, functional or combination.
• Limit to one page whenever possible. Exceptions to this might be if you are writing for education or government positions (they tend to read longer resumes) or if you have many years of related experience.
• Make a concise, positive statement about the work goals you are seeking.
• Use action verbs. Describe situations, actions and results in concrete terms.
• Eliminate information that is not career related: marital status, height, weight, children/dog’s name or hobbies (unless they are related to your career field).
• Double check for all spelling, grammar and punctuation. Have others critique it. It is especially good to get feedback from others in your field.
• Use white space consciously and balance words on the page. Use high quality, 20-25 lb. paper in a neutral color.
• Use a laser/high quality print for a clear, sharp image.
• Save your resume in a word processing program and in an ASCII (text only) format. Your word processing resume is for printing your resume and your ASCII resume is for transmitting resumes through electronic mail.
• Use the resume as an opportunity to look at your skills and get to know yourself and your abilities better.