The Resume Checklist
from: Educator's Job Search, the Ultimate Guide to Finding Position In Education, an NEA Professional Library Publication

Is your resume ready for the tough scrutiny of a potential employer? It is if you can check each of the following qualifications:

• All of my resume statements support my job objective
• The organization of my experiences is immediately obvious and meaningful. The reader can scan all key points within seconds.
• I described all of my experiences with convincing examples or details.
• I emphasized all of my most important experiences-- the experiences closest to the job I want.
• I did not repeat the same experiences in different parts of the resume.
• I have conveyed my personality and individual strengths and interests.
• My enthusiasm for what I want to do shines through.
• I deleted all unnecessary words. The word "I" does not appear too often. Action words begin sentences when possible.
• In order to avoid looking cramped, the design of my resume incorporates lots of white space. My margins are at least one inch on all sides. There is extra white space between major skills or experience areas.
• I capitalized, underlined, or typed important headings and subheadings in bold letters.
• My grammar is correct and consistently applied (for example, periods and capital letters are used the same way throughout).
• Whenever possible, I avoided jargon, acronyms, and abbreviations.
• My resume is printed on white or off-white bond paper with black ink.
• Three other people have read my resume for clarity, correct grammar, and correct spelling.

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