Here are some final tips for evaluating your own resume:
1. Hook your readers. Near the top of your resume, include some key points about yourself that will make the reader want to find out more about you.
2. Highlight your strengths. Your prospective employer should be able to see quickly what you have to offer.
3. Structure your resume like a pyramid. The most important things should be near the top. Start with your best features.
4. Be sure your resume is easy to read. If it is jammed with words, difficult to follow, or badly laid out on the page, no one is going to take the time to read it.
5. Keep your sentences short. Start as many as you can with "action words"
6. Help your readers know what to read. Use boldface type, plenty of "white space" between points to make each stand out. Use highlighting techniques
7. Support your objective. Be sure your resume shows clearly why you are qualified for the job you are seeking.
8. Keep your resume to one page in length.
9. Answer the question all employers ask, "what can this person do for me?" If your resume can answer that question, you can get an interview.
DON'T
1. Don't lie. Don't stretch the truth too far either.
2. Don't copy someone else's resume--you can borrow elements but make your resume your own.
3. Don't write long sentences
4. Don't use long lines
5. Don't put more than four lines together in a block
6. Don't be vague--be very specific
7. Don't include information that is not relevant to the employer. If in doubt, leave it out.
8. Don't include any personal information
9. Don't list references--state that references are available upon request
10. Don't build your resume around dates--dates should be at the end of any description--not at the beginning.
Write, proofread, critique and edit your resume.
