APPENDIX D

RÉSUMÉ & COVER LETTER CHECKLISTS: DON’T SKIP THESE!

RÉSUMÉ CHECKLIST PART 1 OF 2: SUBSTANTIVE/CONTENT/GRAMMAR ISSUES

1. Have you matched the keywords in the résumé to your job descriptions?	
2. Have you conveyed your unique selling proposition/branding statement in a way that makes you shine—three lines MAX in a block/paragraph?	
3. Have you crafted an effective tagline—or chosen not to?	
4. Are there any unexplained gaps? Have you considered how to address those?	
5. Are the verbs starting each bullet varied and powerful?	
6. Are verb tenses consistent throughout (present for current jobs, past for all others)?	
7. Are bullets prioritized in order of importance?	
8. Does every bullet contain quantifying information?	
9. Does every bullet under a skills category (subheader) belong in that category?	
10. Is the most important information visible in the top 1/3 of the résumé?	
11. Have you placed a testimonial or graph/chart on the résumé (or chosen not to)?	
12. Are additional skills and outside activities included if appropriate? Have you added an Awards, Affiliations, Certifications, or Publications section if appropriate?	
13. Have you eliminated as many instances of “a” and “the” as possible?	
14. Is GPA included if 3.4 or above? OR major GPA included if higher than overall?	
15. Is year of graduation included if within ten years?	
16. Does EVERY word count?	
17. Have you checked and double-checked for parallel structure throughout?	
18. Have you checked/Googled spelling, capitalization, and exact language for company names and technology/software?	
19. Are the summary statements under your positions three lines or less?	
20. Have you shown your résumé to at least three trusted friends and colleagues for review?	

RÉSUMÉ CHECKLIST PART 2 OF 2: FORMATTING

1. Have you printed the résumé to check for readability and visual appeal?	
2. Are fonts and font sizes consistent throughout?	
3. Is the font size big enough given the font you are using (see #1)?	
4. Are margins NO less than 0.8” left and right, 0.5” top, and 0.6” bottom?	
5. Are there any double spaces between words?	
6. Is there consistent spacing between sentences? There should be only ONE space after each period, comma, semicolon, question mark, exclamation point, and colon!	
7. Is there consistent spacing between all lines and paragraphs?	
8. Have you made sure your page breaks are logical?	
9. Is there a period at the end of every bullet?	
10. Are numbers consistent throughout? E.g., 1M/3MM or 3,000/75,000	
11. Are numerals consistently either written out or written as numerals?	
12. Is the description of the company directly under the company name and not under the job title?	
13. Are all company and school names in a consistent font and typeface, and all job titles and degrees in a consistent and different typeface?	
14. Are the dates formatted consistently, including consistent dash sizes?	
15. Have you deleted any unnecessary tab stops and widows and orphans? Have you inserted hard page breaks?	
16. Is there a header on the second page that includes name, phone, and “Résumé Page 2 of 2”?	
17. Is there a line that says, “Experience (Cont’d)” and/or “Company Name (Cont’d)” at the top of the second page?	

COVER LETTER CHECKLIST PART 1 OF 2: SUBSTANTIVE/CONTENT ISSUES

1. Does the letter begin with a “hook”? Remember to keep the first paragraph more about the company than about yourself.	
2. Have you addressed the key points in the job description?	
3. Have you minimized use of the word “I”?	
4. Do you state what you know and respect about the company?	
5. Have you used a testimonial in the cover letter (or chosen not to)?	
6. Is the addressee’s name spelled correctly in both the address line and the greeting?	
7. Have you checked for repetition of ideas and phrases, and eliminated repetitive language?	
8. Have you shown the letter to at least three trusted friends and colleagues?	

COVER LETTER CHECKLIST PART 2 OF 2: FORMATTING ISSUES

1. Does the header on the cover letter match your résumé header?	
2. Is the font consistent with the résumé font?	
3. Is there consistent spacing after each period and paragraph? Use ONE space after each period, comma, semicolon, question mark, exclamation point, and colon!	
4. Is there a colon (not a comma) after the greeting?	
5. Is there a call to action in the last paragraph along with a value proposition?	