Give the Gift of a Resume Check-Up

Happy holidays! Here at Job Journey, we talk a lot about resumes. Which makes sense, since it’s one of the things job seekers ask us about the most. We love chatting about formatting, ways to stand out, and how to make sure your resume makes it to the HR manager.

Now, it might just be our passion for resumes showing, but wouldn’t offering to look over your friend’s resume be an awesome gift? You could even exchange resumes and give each other feedback, all in the spirit of the holidays!

If you’re not sure what to look for when reviewing your pal’s resume, we’ve got you covered. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

  1. Focus on the Good

When it comes to feedback in general, you don’t want to make the other person feel badly about themselves. That’s why it’s important to treat your criticism as a “compliment sandwich.” Two pieces of positive feedback for every bit of negative criticism. For example, if the formatting isn’t great, you can say something like the following:

“Oh wow, great job on taking job description words and using them in the resume. I think you might be able to change up some of the formatting using a few of these resume templates, but I also really love the way you fit in your recent job experience.”

  1. Pay Attention to Spelling and Grammar

One of the number one red flags to an HR manager? Spelling and grammar mistakes. So that’s the one of the biggest things you’ll want to keep an eye out for. Make sure words are spelled correctly, and verb tense is standard throughout the resume.

  1. Do Some Research

A great resume is one that’s tailormade for the position and industry being considered. So before critiquing your friend’s resume, review a recent job description or two for the type of position they’re hoping to apply for. You’ll want to make sure their resume builds in keywords from that job description. You might also ask any other friends in similar positions for their resumes to get an idea of formatting.

At the end of the day, you want to help your friend without making them feel bad. That just means praising the good, carefully considering the bad, and building them up. And remember, it’s okay to review their resume more than once! After all, even Santa checks his list twice.

Have you every reviewed a friend’s resume? Do you have any tips? Let us know in the comments section below!

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