What Is Your Resume Quality Score?

 Thirty-three seconds to check resume quality score that’s when a recruiter typically spends on a resume review before deciding whether to mark it as ‘Shortlist’ or ‘Not Shortlisted’.

It is a lot of pressure to put on a piece of paper that determines if you will move forward in the job search process. 

In most cases, a resume is the first document a hiring manager will look at when reviewing your application, and therefore is a right “first impression.” Accordingly, it’s essential to put time and effort into developing and maintaining an updated, accurate resume.

Some professionals offer all sorts of resources to help ensure your resume not only gets you considered but also moves you to the top of the stack.

Check out your resume quality score, and the following checklist will help you catch the recruiter’s attention. Check it out if it is up to par if you can answer yes to the following:

The First impression

• Does it look original and not based ready-made template from the internet?
• Is it inviting to read and has clear sections for each point?
• Is the design looking professional rather than a simple typing job?
• Is a career summary included? Is the reader immediately gets the value proposition?
• If the resume’s length and overall appearance appropriate, given the career level and summary?

Appearance

• Is your resume visually pleasing, with a polished presentation?
• Is the font appropriate?
• Are there any design elements (bullets, bolding, and lines) to guide readers’ eyes through the document and highlight important content?
• Is there a right balance between text and white space?
• Is the margin even on all sides of the resume?
• Is the design elements like spacing and font size used in the document are consistent?
• If longer than one page, Is there any heading on the second page? 
• Is the page break formatted correctly?

Resume sections

• If all sections clearly labelled?
• Are sections placed in the right order highlighting strong credentials in a sequence?
• Is the work history listed in reverse chronological order (i.e. the recent job first)?

Career Aspiration 

• Is the resume targeting to a specific role?
• Are the accomplishments quantified using numbers, percentages, INR amounts, or other Matrices and measures?
•  A specific career goal instead of the one-size-fits-all document?
• If the resume is for a career change, does it include supporting details that show how the experience is relevant to the new job?

Accomplishments

• Does the resume include career accomplishments?
• Does the accomplishment statement begin with strong action verbs?
• Are the accomplishments separated from the role and responsibility?
• Are the accomplishments quantified by using numbers, percentages, INR amounts, or other Matrices and measures? Remember, what matters gets measured.

Relevance

• Is the information provided in a resume is relevant to the job profile?
• Is the resume’s content support the career summary?
• Did you include the keywords, appropriate buzzwords, and industry acronyms?
• Does it have additional information like awards and affiliations, including, does it omit the personal information unrelated to the job like marital status, age, nationality?

Writing style

• Is the flow of content is logical and easy to understand?
• Is it implied in first-person voice with personal pronouns (I, me, and my)?
• Have you checked on typo errors, spellings, grammatical and syntax errors?

If your score is 25 Yes, then you have a higher chance of getting into the shortlisted stack.

Get a free review

By now, you know that a polished, professional resume has to hit many marks, and it is overwhelming. Do you need some help?

Get your resume a free evaluation today from the experts at Career Beacon’s Resume Writing Service. 

You’ll get feedback in three business days, including a review of your resume’s appearance and content and ATS score. 

Make sure your resume hits all the right marks.

Check it off your list. Please write to us at editorial@thecareerbeacon.in