Washington State University Career Guide - Flipbook - Page 24
Career & Resume Guide
for Cougs, 2024 Edition
REFINE YOUR RESUME
Great job, Cougs! Now that you have developed your working resume, use this checklist to do a quick
self-review.
We encourage you to have your resume reviewed – whether it by career services, trusted colleagues,
faculty, network connections, or other trusted sources. Having your resume reviewed can help you get a
fresh perspective!
Section
Checklist Item
Overall
Appearance
¨ Resume is easy to read (professional font and sizing is consistent)
¨ Section titles are consistently formatted and are easily scannable
¨ Content fills the page but is not overly crowded
Formatting
¨ Reverse chronological order
¨ Consistent grammar and verb tense (present tense for current role and past
tense for prior roles)
¨ Dates (months) are spelled out or consistently abbreviated and formatted
Education
¨ Degree and major are listed with graduation month and year (no range),
name and location of institution is included
Experience
¨ Experience section is formatted consistently and includes organization
name, location, title, and time period (month year – month year) as appropriate
¨ Sentence fragments are concise, direct, and accomplishment oriented
¨ Strong verbs and appropriate verb tense is used
¨ Statements communicate a variety of transferable skills, accomplishments,
or experiences
Overall
Content
¨ Content is tailored to the specific position or industry (ex. keywords)
¨ Resume has been reviewed for errors (spelling, grammar, capitalization,
punctuation)
24 | Career & Resume Guide for Cougs, 2024 Edition
