Checklist: Resume - Entry Level
Targeted for Profession
- My resume is targeted to a specific job. (General resumes tend to not be effective).
- My resume includes keywords, experiences, and skills specific to the job.
- I include experiences that showcase successes with my job responsibilities.
- (Optional) If my past experiences are not related to the job field, I include an objective statement.
- My objective statement is 1-2 sentences.
- My objective statement explains how my past experiences support my new career path.
General
- My resume fits on one page.
- My resume is in PDF format.
- The links in my resume are hyperlinked.
- My resume uses one of the following standard orders:
- Heading, Skills, Projects, Experience, Education
- Heading, Education, Skills, Projects, Experience
- The spelling and grammar in my resume are correct.
- My resume does not include: age, gender, marital status, photo, or mention of references.
- My resume does not include negative language.
- My resume does not indicate that I am seeking a job. (This may be extraneous or redundant information).
- I align all of the text in my resume to left and/or right axis.
- The company name and title are emphasized/distinct in my resume.
- The content in my resume is optimized for horizontal space. My resume uses space well for a reader reading from top to bottom.
- I condense lists of single words to the same line.
- The section headings in my resume are distinct from other text.
- My name is at the top of the page and is larger than other text on my resume.
- My resume formatting is consistent throughout - from section headers to bullet point alignment.
Heading
- My resume heading includes: my full name, phone number, email and location.
- I include links to my LinkedIn, GitHub and/or personal website. If relevant, I also include links to my professional Twitter or other social media accounts.
Education
- I include my Nanodegree program in this section, even if currently incomplete.
- I include any college, including major or courses.
- If applicable, I include relevant courses (from university, community college, online, etc.) in this section of my resume.
Skills
- I list relevant and challenging technologies. These include: programming languages, frameworks, version control systems, databases, operating systems, image/video/audio editing software, etc.
- (Optional) If my resume displays a wide range of skills, I note which skills are of particular expertise.
Projects
- I list only the most relevant projects on my resume. (These projects can include my personal, academic or work projects).
- I only include about 2-3 projects.
- I use a maximum 2-3 bullet points per project.
- At least 1 of these bullet point demonstrates an individual contribution.
- At least 1 of these bullet point communicates a project result (success metrics, findings).
Experience
- For each experience listed in this section, I note the company/organization, the title of role, start and end date (month & year), and location.
- (If applicable) I include unpaid or part-time work, but omitted the words “part-time” and “unpaid” to prevent bias.
- I use a maximum 3-4 bullet points for each experience listed.
- I did not use sub-bullet points.
- My bullet point statements start with action verbs.
- I use the correct tense in bullet point statements: past tense for previous experience, current tense for ongoing experience.
- Within each job listing, I include:
- At least 1 bullet point that communicates how I benefited company or cause.
- At least 1 bullet point that provides concrete, numerical evidence such as projects completed, money made, people managed, accomplishments (eg. % increase).
- My bullet point statements are one sentence maximum, and are not longer than one and a half lines.