16 Questions to Help Tweak Your Resume

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Not sure how to update your achievements and work experience on your resume? Here are some questions provided by the Social Work Career Center that you can ask yourself to help revise your resume:
 

  • What are your demonstrated strengths (consider behavioral strengths, industry/product knowledge, key accomplishments). How are these strengths helpful to a potential employer?
     
  • What common theme has spanned your various jobs (e.g., Informing people, developing and overseeing processes)?
     
  • Did you help increase sales? By what percentages or amount?
     
  • Did you generate new business, bring in new clients, or forge affiliations with new organizations? How and with whom?
     
  • Did you save your company money? How much and under what circumstances?
     
  • Did you design and/or institute any new system or process? What were the results?
     
  • Did you meet an impossible deadline through extra effort? What difference did this make to your company?
     
  • Did you bring a major project in on or under budget? How did you make this happen? How were the dollars you saved used?
     
  • Did you suggest and/or help launch a new product or program? What was it? How successful was the effort?
     
  • Did you take on any new responsibilities that weren't part of your job? What did you do?
     
  • Did you ask for the new projects or were they assigned to you? Why were you selected?
     
  • Did you introduce any new or more effective techniques for increasing productivity? Is your approach being used?
     
  • Did you improve communication in your firm? With whom and what was the outcome?
     
  • Did you participate in the recruitment or training of other employees? What did you do? How did your company benefit from your performance?
     
  • What are suggestions or recommendations you have made which have been accepted or implemented?
     
  • What awards or work-related contests have you won?

Keep each of your quantified bullet points brief, using eye-catching keywords and phrases. Make sure your resume sells your specific accomplishments, and you'll be more likely to get in the door--when you can go into more detail about how you're the best candidate for the job.

Image courtesy of Renjith Krishnan at FreeDigitialPhotos.net
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  • Annette Williams
    Annette Williams •
    This will help me to up grade my resume. Thank you.
  • Saylia Hammonds
    Saylia Hammonds •
    Very informative.  Will assist in tweaking  my resume.
  • Sharon Taylor
    Sharon Taylor •
    Rebecca, I would love to hear the answer to your question. I am 55, worked for the same company for 26 years, until the company was sold last March. I can't find a job either and I too look like I'm in my 40's.
  • rebecca  hinkle
    rebecca  hinkle •
    Although I  have included these items in my resume, these are excellent thought provoking points that may help one recall some contribution they made that they have not seen in that light. certainly good information. My hurdle is that  I am a bright, articulate, professional 59 year old who  is a strong communicator, a consistent thread  throughout my career. My resume is disregarded because of my age. I look like I am 43, am very fit and energetic. How do I get my foot in the door?

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