hanover.edu
Levett Career Center
Assessing Resume

Writing a strong, effective resume is one of the most demanding parts of preparing for a search. Background research and numerous drafts are required to develop a great document; don't underestimate the effort required for this task.

Evaluate your resume:

For each item below, use the slider to indicate how effectively you demonstrated that aspect of a strong resume in your own document. Try to give an honest and accurate assessment of your strength on each item. Those in italics are considered essential for mastery of this competency.

The closer to low your rating, the less effectively you applied the aspect in your resume.

The closer to high your rating, the more effectively you applied the aspect in your resume.

Low Rating High Strong Resume Factors
Your resume skillfully highlights specific related skills, experience, and traits through greater detail.
You create an emphasis by focusing on 1-2 central skills, restating them 2-3 times with varied language.
Your keywords are specific and related to your goal.
Your verbs are strong, active, and related to your goal.
Your results include three or more strong accomplishments from past experience.
Your headings showcase your strengths while matching the job requirements.
Your layout clearly conveys the relative importance of items and prominently features the most important items near top and left.
Your verb tenses correctly match dates.
Your visual highlights effectively indicate key ideas using bold and bullets.
Your fonts are well-chosen, clear, and easy-to-read.
The length fills page effectively and conforms to the length standard in the field.
Your proofreading avoids all errors, you use consistent punctuation and explain acronyms.
Standard protocol is observed, avoiding unnecessary articles, pronouns, and unrelated skills.
Reverse chronological order is used effectively.

Additional tips to improve your resume:

  • Review your responses to the Transferable Skills tool to help you identify your main strengths, which will become the themes you want to focus on in your resume.
  • Refer to the Career Center's Resume Guide, which provides worksheets, sample resumes, and many tips to help you begin writing an effective document.
  • Attend a resume workshop.
  • Request a resume critique at the Career Center, meet with a Career Peer Mentor, or get feedback to someone in the field you are seeking to enter. You can get alumni names from the Career Center.