Make Sure Your Resume Is No Turkey

We’re going to do something mean and add one more thing to your to-do list this week. Between giving thanks, cooking, watching football, eating, and spending time with family, why not take some time to take a look at your resume? When was the last time you updated it? And let’s be honest, are you really going to have any free time in December?

 We’ll help you make sure your resume is no turkey with this checklist:

1. Is it up-to-date? Update your latest position with key accomplishments and leadership activities. Move education to the bottom of your resume (unless your most recent position was getting a degree). Do you have your current email and phone at the top?
2. Does it look good? No cheating with margins and font sizes! Your resume should be in a font size bigger than 11 and in a professional font. No comic sans! Most online resume upload systems require the resume to be in Word so the less fancy, the better. Remove any tables and graphics.
3. Does it “sell” you? For each job, make sure you list your accomplishments, responsibilities, and the results you achieved. Instead of “Responsible for marketing strategy and communications plan” you should say something like “Developed and executed marketing strategy resulting in 19% increase in sales.”
4. Can you fit it on one page? If you have more than 10 years of experience, it is reasonable that you will need two pages. But many employers and job boards require a one page resume. Make sure you can get yours on one page.
5. Is everything included? List any relevant volunteer experience. And if you have gaps in your resume, check out our tips here.

 Finally, if you need help getting started, download our resume template.