8: Is my experience relevant?

Always be sure to list experience that is relevant to the position that you are applying for. For example, I hire Registered Nurses and Practical Nurses, as well as Personal Support Workers. I often receive resumés that list experience from places like Lawn Care companies or Dog Walking businesses. When applying for the position of a healthcare professional, whether you have experience in the field or not, be sure to list experience that can be seen as beneficial for the position you are applying for.

Another thing to consider is to keep your experience recent. Listing experience from 10 – even 5 – years ago, is sometimes a turnoff for employers. If you have nothing recent, they will wonder why.

7: Is everything spelled correctly?

There is nothing worse than printing out a resumé and having to decipher the hidden message that applicants are trying to get across. Not only does it make you look unprofessional, but it also makes it look as though you rush through things without focusing on the outcome. No one wants to hire someone who lacks attention to detail.

6: What format am I submitting it in?

Receiving a resumé that you cannot open is irritating. Recruiters are busy and constant communication back and forth due to a document file format is time consuming. Use a format that is basic and recognized by most operating systems, such as PDF. Creating work for the Recruiter before even meeting them does not create a good impression, even though it’s not your fault!

5: Do I have an objective?

I often receive resumés with no objective and I think, “What position are they applying for? What are they hoping to gain out of this position?” An objective doesn’t have to be long. One or two sentences at the beginning sets the stage for the rest of your resumé. From here, they are able to make their decision on whether to call you or not based on your experience, education and skills.

4: Am I telling the truth?

Don’t lie. What’s the point? If you don’t have any experience, don’t list any. Your lack of experience will show if you get the position.

If you had a gap in employment dates, don’t extend your last unemployment date to hide it. Chances are, recruiters will find out. Your references may give it away without even knowing it.

3: Is the length acceptable?

An acceptable length for resumés is one to two pages. I have received resumés that are up to seven pages in length. When writing your resumé, always take into consideration the content that you’re adding to it. A resumé is meant to be a summary of your skills, education and qualifications regarding the position; it is not supposed to be a list of everything that you have ever done.

2: Does the layout make sense?

One mistake that many resumé-writers make is using a layout that doesn’t make sense. It’s important to remember that whoever receives your resumé will be reading it like anything else, top to bottom. To begin, you want to catch the readers’ eye. If you place ‘Volunteer Experience’ at the beginning and your ‘Education’ or  ‘Objective’ at the end, you may lose their interest before they get there. As previously mentioned, Recruiters are busy. Your resume is not the only one that they are looking at that day. Try to keep everything laid out in a way that makes sense:

• Objective • Education • Experience • Skills/Qualifications •

1: Am I providing proper contact information?

In previous years, the only type of contact information that candidates would put on their resumé was their home phone number. Nowadays, there are many different ways to contact potential candidates and, when considering how busy our lives get, it’s better to give them as many ways to contact you as possible: home phone number, cell phone number, email address etc.

One mistake many people make when writing resumés is using unprofessional, personal email addresses. When Recruiters or Employers are looking to get into contact with you, using an email address like bacardiluvr82@hotmail.com will not create the best image. If you have to, create an alternate email address specific for resumés. Use something simple like your first and last name; not only is this professional, but it’s also easier for them to remember!