Time for a resume critique? Use our resume review checklist!

Your resume is your first impression with prospective employers, so it needs to be as polished and professional as possible. Doing a resume critique can make sure that your resume checks all of the boxes for style, structure, and substance. 

This article offers a comprehensive resume review checklist you can use to do your own resume critique and make sure that you’re putting your best foot forward.

Why is a resume critique important?

Using a resume review checklist template allows you to evaluate your resume objectively before submitting it to employers. By catching any style, formatting, or grammatical errors, you have a better chance of impressing a recruiter and getting an interview.

Other benefits of doing a resume critique include:

• Fresh perspective: Doing a thorough review can often give you a new perspective on your resume. You might find an important skill you forgot to add, or realize that you didn’t include the right keywords.

• Unbiased opinion: A resume critique can provide unbiased, objective insights into your resume. If you use a professional resume expert, they can also help you align your resume with current standards and hiring trends.

• Good first impression: Just as a mock interview prepares you for the real thing, a resume critique tests whether your resume will make a good first impression on recruiters. When reviewing your resume, do your best to look at it from a hiring manager’s perspective and ask whether it makes a convincing case for hiring you.

Our resume review checklist template

Before you submit your resume, you can run it through this resume review checklist below to make sure that it’s good to go. 

It’s also helpful to have at least one other person look over your resume to catch any style, formatting, or grammatical errors you might have missed. Give this resume peer review checklist to someone you trust to get their feedback.

Ask each question on this list for a thorough resume critique. You or your peer reviewer should be able to answer “yes” to all of the following questions:

Visual appearance

• Does your resume have a clean, modern design?

• Is it easy to scan your resume at a glance?

• Have you used professional fonts that are easy to read?

• Is there enough white space between sections to balance the text?

• Does your resume have consistent font sizes, spacing, and margins?

Length and format

• If you have less than 10 years of experience, does your resume fit on one page?

• If your resume is over one page long, have you included footers with page numbers?

• Have you avoided unnecessary sections that make your resume longer without adding value?

• Have you used the right resume format for your experience and goals?

• Is the resume format appropriate for your role and industry?

Structure

• Is your resume organized logically to guide the reader?

• Have you included your current contact information in the resume header?

• Have you provided a professional summary that highlights your value and aligns your experience to the role?

• Does your resume have clear sections for your summary, work experience, skills, and education?

• Have you bolded or clearly differentiated the section headers?

• If you’re using a reverse chronological format, have you listed your most recent jobs first?

• Have you used bullet points instead of large blocks of text where possible?

Key accomplishments

• Have you included key accomplishments for each job, in addition to duties?

• Have you prioritized achievements that align with the job you’re applying for?

• Do you describe your accomplishments using strong action verbs?

• Have you quantified your achievements with numbers, percentages, or dollar amounts where possible?

• Have you prominently featured your accomplishments so employers can easily see them?

Writing style

• Have you eliminated first-person pronouns (such as “I,” “we,” and “my”)?

• Is your writing clear and concise?

• Have you avoided using fluff or unnecessary jargon?

• Is your resume free from spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors?

• Does the tone of your resume match your experience level, role, and industry?

• Have you read your resume out loud to make sure that it reads well and flows naturally?

Relevance

• Does your resume focus on the experience and skills relevant to the targeted job?

• Have you removed outdated jobs, certifications, or coursework?

• Have you eliminated filler content that doesn’t add value?

• Have you removed all unnecessary personal information, such as your age and marital status?

• If you’ve included additional sections, such as awards or professional organizations, is the information relevant to the new role?

Customization

• Have you tailored your resume to the specific job, rather than using a generic version?

• Have you incorporated resume keywords and phrases from the job description?

• Have you adjusted your professional summary to reflect the employer’s needs?

• Have you included relevant skills listed in the job description?

• Does your resume use the same tone and style as the job description?

• Does your resume reflect why you’re a perfect fit for the specific job?

Need some help writing a perfect, polished resume? Use career.io’s Resume Builder to create a structured, customized resume for your dream job!

Key takeaways

1. Use a resume review checklist to review your resume’s appearance, format, structure, relevance, and writing style.

2. While you now know how to review a resume with this checklist on your own, it’s beneficial to have another person—such as a trusted friend or a professional—also critique your resume.

3. Doing a resume critique can give you a fresh perspective and allow you to assess whether your resume makes a good first impression for the job you want.