How to Critique a Resume

Put on a hiring manager's hat to critique the resume.

A friend or relative has asked you to critique her resume. Alternatively, you may be critiquing your own resume. If you have decided on a self-critique, put the completed resume aside for at least one day. You must approach this task with a fresh perspective and look at the document objectively. Think and act like a hiring manager who is spending an afternoon reading through a stack of resumes and trying to decide which documents will survive the first round of cuts.

Instructions

1. Scan the resume for about 10 seconds. Is it visually appealing and easy to read? Has the applicant used consistent fonts, boldface, underlining and tab stops? Does the document contain the essential components: header, professional summary, work experience, education? Is the resume no more than two pages long? A well-designed resume creates a favorable first impression and motivates the hiring manager to continue reading.

2. Highlight all the keywords in the resume, using a copy of the job advertisement as a guide. Each industry has its own set of words and phrases that represent the knowledge, skills and abilities required for the position. Many employers use software and search engines to sift through all the resumes, searching for keywords pertaining to the position. A document that contains a significant number of these keywords will have a higher ranking in these database searches.

3. Focus on the professional summary or performance profile. Located directly below the header, this short paragraph contains three to five of the applicant's greatest skills and achievements. Has the applicant clearly demonstrated why she is qualified for the position? A hiring officer may not read beyond this point if he feels the applicant's skill set does not meet the requirements of the position. In her book "Resume Magic," Susan Britton Whitcomb describes this section of the resume as the visual center of the page. She recommends that all applicants place their most strategic information in this section.

4. Read through the remaining sections of the resume. Do the bullets in the work experience and education sections contain substantial information? Has the applicant used numbers -- for example, of products sold, employees supervised or dollars of increased profit -- to back up her achievements? Are there too many bullets, creating a polka-dot effect that can be annoying for the reader?

5. Check for outdated and superfluous information. The resume should not refer to job experiences from more than 10 years ago. While a recent graduate can refer to her grade point average, extracurricular involvement and other school-related activities, older and more experienced applicants should omit these details. Personal information such as religion, age, marital status and disability must not appear in the resume.

6. Read the resume aloud. If possible, record your reading and play it back a few times. Alternatively, you could ask the applicant or another friend to read the resume to you. Does it sound contrived or awkward? Are there any weak verbs and expressions the applicant can replace with more precise and action-oriented words? Has she explained any acronyms or jargon, or better yet, avoided them?

7. Proofread the resume, checking spelling, grammar and punctuation.

References

• Career Mideast: How to Critique our Own Resume
• College of St. Benedict's: St. John's University: Critique Your Resume: Checklist
• Pongo Resume: Critique Your Resume Like a Hiring Manager
• "Resume Magic"; Susan Britton Whitcomb; 2010