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.