Is your resume ready for the job market? Use our checklist to find out

So, you took a full day of your weekend to write, scratch out, and rewrite the content of your entire resume. You’ve gone through the document a couple hundred times and can repeat it back to front without breaking a sweat. But how do you know whether your resume is ready to be seen by potential employers?

You are sure that you have created a winning resume that wows all employers. However, before you ship it out, you need to make sure that it is really a successful document. So, how can you do that? You don’t need to look too far for answers because we have a?resume checklist ?that will help you:

Is your resume the right length?

A resume that is too long is likely to get ignored by recruiters. The extra length on your resume indicates that you have not summarized information properly. A short and concise resume is always appreciated by recruiters and hiring managers. Remove unnecessary information from your resume to reduce the length. Also, forgo large blocks of text in favor of short bullet points.

Have you tailored your resume?

A customized resume has a better chance ?of getting called back for interviews. Whenever you apply for a job, ensure that your resume is tailored to the job description. Your resume should mention the right experience, skills, and qualifications to suit the demands of the employer. Also, you should ensure that your resume carries the right keywords for ATS compatibility.

Is all the necessary information mentioned?

First of all, you must ensure that you have listed accurate?contact details on your resume . Avoid mentioning multiple phone numbers/emails on your resume since it confuses potential employers. Ensure that you have mentioned all the other necessary information such as your work experience, skills, education, and languages on your resume.

Have you explained career gaps on your resume?

It isn’t a crime to have a career gap on your resume. However, you will be ignoring resume writing best practices if you omit to mention your career gap on a resume. You should list your employment gap in the work experience section and provide a brief explanation for it. Also, highlight the volunteer experience, entrepreneurial experience, skills, or certifications you gained during the gap.

Is there any irrelevant information mentioned on the resume?

You need to add a personal touch to your resume. But that does not mean that you should mention irrelevant personal details on your resume. Read your resume thoroughly to spot any information that seems excessive and can be removed.?Keep the resume relevant ?to the job.

Is your formatting consistent?

Consistency is key when it comes to your resume. Be it the content, the formatting, or the writing style, everything needs to be consistent. Go for a maximum of two colors for your resume. Use only one or two different fonts and keep your bullet points uniform throughout the document.?Structure your content consistently ?throughout the resume.

Did you ask someone else to proofread your resume?

Have you ever sent out an important email after reading it several times only to realize that you made a huge spelling error later? This can happen to your resume too, especially if you have been working on it for a while. It is normal to completely miss some spelling and grammar mistakes on your resume. Ask someone else to?proofread your resume ?to spot any bits you may have missed.