How to Assess Your Resume
By Derek Greene
June1, 2008
Is your resume good enough? Is it getting the response you want?
If you think the answer is “no”, you probably need to take a good hard look at it again. What seems to be the problem? Well, take the effort to sense your strengths and weaknesses by conducting a thorough assessment of your resume. To do this effectively, ask yourself in an honest way the following questions:
- Did you clearly express your personal brand? Clarity of thought is important. Since your resume goes to a review process along with probably over a dozen others, your aim is to flaunt your personal brand—that is, to effectively demonstrate that you are the best choice.
- Is your value proposition easy to read and understand even by just making a quick look at your resume? Making your message clear is just as significant as demonstrating your personal brand. Many human resource executives admit that they have read thousands of resumes but merely spend a maximum of 10-15 seconds each to be able to grab their attention. Even in just a short time, the resume instantly goes to the garbage heap if it is not worth the value.
- Do the qualifications indicated in your resume address the specific needs of your target employer? Can you make a difference? Employers are eager to find this out, whether you are applying for a managerial or an entry-level position. Remember that it pays to make a good impact that owes to your broad experience.
- Does your outlined accomplishment clearly show your abilities that makes a compelling impact?Like the point raised earlier, show how you have done something like that in the past. To illustrate how you can deliver a positive impact, discuss your accomplishments by stating the challenges you have faced, the actions employed, as well as the results garnered.
- Did you use an active voice? When crafting your resume, it must have a sense of action and movement. Prefer using action verbs whenever possible, especially when you start making each bullet point. This would liven up your resume.
- Is the resume design easy to the eyes and draws it to important data? A good resume design is as critically important as the key information being presented. Sometimes, the applicant disregards how the resume would look like. Remember that deciding, on the part of the hiring manager to interview you or not, merely takes a few seconds. Thus, make your resume easy to read without sacrificing your talents to craft it in a unique and interesting way.
- Are you impressed? Now, be brutally honest with yourself. Be tough. Pick up your resume. Play the role of a hiring manager then, read it carefully. If you don’t feel like hiring the person, perhaps no one else would. So the tip to remember is: write and revise your draft to come out with only the best.
- What do other people say about your resume? Ask for feedback from trusted people, but ensure that you ask those who have hiring experience. Don’t ask them what they think of it; instead ask the impression it gives about the person after reading it.
Derek Greene has 10 years of experience working as a workshop facilitator on subjects that include corporate staffing, career development, and human resources. He holds a master’s degree in economics.
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