Resume Checklist for Candidates

To ensure that your resume is free of typographical errors and missing sections that might raise a red flag at the hiring desk, it is important to review the resume with a checklist after writing it. We have compiled a Resume Checklist with instructional guidance to ensure that your resume is perfect at the hiring desk!

Insure Your Resume against Errors with Resume Checklist for Candidates

Hiring Managers often claim that it takes less than a few seconds to scan a two-page technical resume and instantly grab the pertinent skills or achievements to assess the candidacy of any resume. To prevent petty errors from creeping up on your resume, follow the resume Checklist to insure your resume now.

1. Clear Objective

Lately, there is a lot of fuss over whether or not the career objective is important to a professional resume. However, the objective section in a resume continues to add value to the candidature and is considered important to most jobs. This is where you outline your career graph and emphasize why you want to work for the company. Hiring Managers described an ideal resume objective as a clear and concise statement relevant to the job description, which is supported by the rest of your resume facts and credentials.

2. Readable Design, Format and Font Choice

Candidates must ensure that the resume is readable on multiple screens and resolutions by comparing it on different devices. To ensure that your document does not change on different readers or software versions, it is best to save it in PDF format. Resume writing coaches advocate candidates to use Sans-Serif fonts with 12-Point Size to increase the readability of the resume document on a wide variety of screens. It is important to maintain a formal tone in the resume and an easy way to do is by avoiding the use of personal pronouns such as “I” or “Me”.

3. Are there any Red Flags in your Resume

Red flags are warning signals that hiring managers look out for, to detect unfit candidates. Visible gaps in your employment history to criminal background, inconsistent details, and multiple short-term jobs are the main red flags that result in rejections. Red flags are considered cues that raise suspicions about your candidacy and it is best to address and rectify the same before sending the resume.

4. Relevant Achievements and Skills

It is important to customize your resume to respond to the specific job application you’re applying for. From being overqualified to irrelevant, being too honest in a resume is not always positive for the candidate. To make your resume relevant, candidates must quantify their achievements by quoting the target’s achievements and results of the past jobs. A few years ago, one resume could fit all the job applications; but today resumes with generic content are considered irrelevant more than often. Moreover, hiring managers believe that the achievements section is the most important part of a resume. To make it appealing, remember to add precise technical skills to this section as requested by the employer in the job application.

5.  Technically Accurate Summary

Yet another relevancy to maintain in your resume is the summary statement. An ideal summary statement in a resume must present a gist of your exceptional technical skills that make you a fitting candidate for the job offered. As most hiring managers take but a few seconds to assess a resume, you must customize your summary statement to match the needs of the employer and direct their attention to the remnant resume. Experts recommend using exact keywords from the job application to refer to your proficiencies, skills, and accomplishments relevant to the job role.

6. Relevant Power Verbs

A genius tip to apply in your resume is the use of power verbs. Also called action verbs, power verbs emphasize the outstanding technical expertise of the candidate. It is important to use action words at the beginning of work experience to make your resume stand out. A bold and relevant action verb immediately catches the eye of the reader and increases the effectiveness of your resume statements.

7. ATS-Compatibility of the Resume

As a wide majority of companies use computer software such as ATS to filter and track resume applications, it is wise to customize your resume to pass the same tests. Automatic Tracking Software scans the resumes to find precise and relevant technical information that establishes the qualifications of a candidate. To pass the ATS evaluation, candidates must use standard section headers as well as 50% of keywords directly from the job application. In addition, using up to 95% similar keywords from the job application disqualifies the candidacy as spam.

8. Total Size of the Document Must be Lesser than 5 MB

Candidates must ensure that the resume file does not exceed the standard resume size. Hiring managers advocate candidates to restrict resume size to lesser than 5 MB or two pages to pass initial scanning and assessments at the hiring desk. Avoid using lengthy paragraphs on a resume as it buries vital information out of sight from the reader.  A smart way to shrink your resume size is by condensing cardinal information into short bulleted points.

9. Proofread the Document: Thrice

A serious red flag in resumes that most often terminates the qualification of a resume, proofreading errors must be strictly avoided in an official resume. Presence of typos, spelling mistakes and grammatical errors are proofs of your incompetent communication or writing skills, thereby derogatory to the candidacy. To avoid the same, candidates must request a friend or family member to scan the resume. You can also use online grammar and spell checkers such as Grammarly to ensure that your resume is flawless.

10. Have you Created your Resume Cover Letter?

Considered a cloak that introduces the resume in the best limelight, the cover letter is mandatory for every job application. Your cover letter must be formatted according to current standards and must add unique value to your resume. Moreover, a cover letter helps the candidate to elaborate on information that cannot be included in a resume. Read more on ways to write a cover letter that gets noticed.   (Hyperlink the Cover Letter Guide Article)

Conclusion

With changing age and technology, the resume holds an indispensable value to job seekers. From proofreading tips to formatting, designing and drafting vital sections in a resume, the aforementioned tips can help you craft a flawless resume that guarantees the interview! A good resume checklist helps you to assess if your resume is qualified to win the dream job.