Is your resume really ready to be submitted?

Writing an effective resume is not a small task that should be overlooked. From the quality of it depends your chances to get the job and position you are seeking for.

Often resumes are seen as burden task, but keep in mind that in your job search, your resume will be your most effective marketing tool, and therefore you should ensure that it is as sharp as possible.

In order to help you proof reading your resume effectively, here are 15 questions you should ask yourself before submitting your resume to anyone.

General questions to ask yourself

Those questions are pertaining to the general aspect (look and feel) of your resume, and generally speaking to the impression that it will give to your prospective employer after reading it:

• Is your resume presented in a way that is appealing to the eye?

• Are you using standard fonts in a consistent manner to ensure that your resume is easily readable?

• Did you use a dictionary or spell check program to ensure that your resume is spelling errors free?

• Did you ask a third party to proof read your resume for grammatical errors?

• Are you using proper English (or whatever your language is) in your resume?

• Does your resume stand out giving you an edge or not?

• Did you tailor your resume to match the type of position you are seeking?

• What do you think an employer would think of you after reading your resume?

Specific questions to ask yourself

Those questions are focused on specific points of your resume that could be enhanced if followed appropriately:

• Are your name, address and other contact information clearly displayed at the top of your resume?

• Is your objective clear and concise such as it makes sense for the position you are seeking?

• Did you present your work experience logically?

• Have you accounted for any gaps in your employment history that an employer may question about?

• Does each position you had support your resume and your objective?

• Does your experience seems to flow together or is there a lot jumping around between positions, companies and industries?

• Are the skills you have listed relevant to the position of which you are applying?

While you should be the first to ask those questions and make sure that they are answered properly by yourself, I would also strongly suggest you to get a few others third party to try to answer those questions based on what they think of your resume.

The reason is clear, we often lack of objectivity when it comes to our own work. The more feedbacks you'll get, the more accurate will be the final appraisal of your resume quality!