What to Look for in a Resume/CV

A Resume/ CV gives you the first look at an applicant's skills and abilities. 

There are many things on a resume that can tell you a lot about the candidate. The resume length, style, presentation and substance all come together to form a picture of the candidate. Also, see our resume rating form in the form section of this guide.

First of all, a resume should look like the candidate has put a lot of time and effort into building it. The document should be on a high quality paper and neatly printed.

Look Professional:
The resume should look professional and uncluttered. Is there adequate spacing used in the resume? Are the sections neatly divided? How has formatting such as bullets, bold and italic font and indentation been used? You should be able to easily navigate the resume to pick out the important information without having to read through the whole paper.

The Content of the CV:
The content of the CV  is the most significant part of it. Look for any typing mistakes. A typing mistake could immediately suggest carelessness on the part of the candidate on this very important document.

Most resumes will contain an objectives section on top of the resume. This section can easily let you see what the applicant's goals are. There may also be a 'summary' section to give you an overview of the rest of the resume. You can use these sections to see if your objectives match the applicants.

Still reading....

If you are still reading the resume, that is a good sign. The writer has kept your interest by highlighting his best skills. The top part of the resume should contain the most vital information, decreasing in importance as you read down.

Education:
The resume may contain an 'educational experience' section. Does the applicant meet or exceed your minimum requirement? Additionally, look for any honors or awards listed here.

Look for Action verbs!
Take a look at the action verbs. Supervised, organized, managed, for example can sound great if you are looking to fill a managerial position. It can tell you the skills of the applicant through what he has done in the past. It can display skills such as decision making, initiative, time and money management, etc.

Special skills:
An employee may also add special skills at the bottom of the resume. For example some people list multiple languages if they are fluent in them. If you need the additional skills, that can be a point in favor of that particular candidate.

The content of the resume should present skills and knowledge that the employee can put to use at his new job. Unnecessary information and rambling sentences can be a negative on a resume. The resume should be relevant to the job at hand and should contain short concise sentences

What about the overall impression of the Resume?
The overall impression you get is very important. Does the resume stand out from the rest? Does the resume present a complete picture and impart information on the person's skills, abilities, and strengths?

You should be able to locate the main keywords and skills at first glance. The layout should be well organized. If you are like most recruiters you will not spend a great deal of time on each and every resume. You should not have to search the resume and try to figure out yourself what the applicant's objectives and career goals are.