Resume Editing Tips

Here are some tips for proofreading and editing your resume.

HEADING

Are your name, email address, and phone number in an easy-to-read, large font (Arial, Times, or Garamond in 12-14 point size with 10-12 point size for body of resume)?
Is your email address appropriate (not couples’ or unprofessional address)?
Do you have an appropriate answering message for the phone number listed?
If your resume is more than one page, do you have your name (and possibly email address) as a header on the second page?

FORMAT (resume templates are only guides)

Have you picked the best format for your resume, such as a FUNCTIONAL (generally better if time gaps) versus CHRONOLOGICAL (reverse order of jobs)?
Are your resume sections ranked by your best first (recent grads might list “Education” first)?

POSSIBLE SECTIONS: Objective, Summary, (Work and/or Volunteer) Experience, Education, Skills, Professional Affiliations/Memberships, Honors/Awards, Key Skills

Is each section grammatically parallel (can’t use “Responsible for” if using all verb phrases)?

VERB LIST-Boston College website: www.bc.edu/offices/careers/skills/resumes/verbs.html

Have you used “keywords” from the job posting as many times as possible (essential if resumes are pulled by computer “keyword” searches)?
Did you check your “highlighted” areas by just glancing at the overall resume to determine if what catches your eye should be highlighted (generally not dates or towns)?

10. Have you checked what’s scannable on the job website, such as drawn lines, font choice, curly quotes, italics, underlining, or CAPS (usually Preview option)?

CONTENT (always truthful but presented in best way)

11. Did you verify every achievement listed is not just a job description (percentages and numbers useful)?

12. Have you highlighted the skills pertinent for this particular job (one person can have multiple resumes that highlight different skills from the same job)?

13. If using bullets in the job listing section, have you limited the bullets under each section to 3-5 depending on relevance of each job (bullets should be asterisks or plus signs)?

14. Did you group like items when applicable (“Other Work Experience” could be compilation of jobs held in other fields)?

15. Did you omit unnecessary information (generally jobs 15+ years ago or “References Available upon Request” or hobbies if not pertinent)?

OVERALL

16. Is your resume the right length (generally 1-2 pages)—and if 2 pages, does the second page begin at an appropriate part?

17. If your resume will be folded, did you make sure that location of folds is in blank areas?

18. Did you double check that ending punctuation (especially for bullets) and commas (especially in lists) are consistent throughout your resume?

19. Have you proofread everything, including spelling, as spell check won’t find “Mange” versus “Manage” (can read backwards or have another person read a hard copy)?

20. Have you previewed your resume online, if possible.

By Colette Worm, a custom designer of Professional Resumes with 16 years’ experience—including work with “gap” resumes. Experienced cultural writing differences while moving with U.S. Army husband & while working in University Writing Center when obtaining Master’s degree in English & Business. majorworm@hotmail.com