Resume Critique Guide: How to Review a Resume Effectively

Whether you’re helping a friend polish their application, reviewing resumes as a hiring manager, or evaluating your own document with fresh eyes, knowing how to critique a resume effectively is a valuable skill. A thorough resume critique goes beyond catching typos—it assesses content strategy, formatting choices, impact, and overall effectiveness in communicating a candidate’s value.

This comprehensive guide will teach you how to systematically evaluate a resume and provide constructive feedback that leads to meaningful improvements.

The Purpose of a Resume Critique

What a Good Critique Achieves

An effective resume critique:

• Identifies strengths to maintain
• Pinpoints weaknesses to address
• Provides actionable improvement suggestions
• Considers the target audience (recruiters, hiring managers)
• Evaluates both content and presentation
• Helps the candidate understand why changes matter

Who Benefits from Resume Critiques

Job Seekers:

• Fresh perspective on their document
• Identification of blind spots
• Confidence in their presentation

Career Coaches and Counselors:

• Structured approach to helping clients
• Consistent evaluation standards
• Teaching opportunities

Hiring Managers:

• Better understanding of what makes resumes effective
• Improved ability to identify strong candidates
• Insights for internal career development

The Resume Critique Framework

Step 1: First Impression Review (6-Second Test)

Spend just 6 seconds scanning the resume—this mimics initial recruiter behavior.

Ask Yourself:

• Can you immediately identify who this person is professionally?
• What stands out first?
• Is the layout clean and professional?
• Can you quickly find key information?
• What’s your overall impression?

Note your reactions: Initial impressions often reveal the most glaring issues or strongest elements.

Step 2: Contact Information Review

Check for:

• Full name prominently displayed
• Professional email address
• Phone number present
• Location (city, state)
• LinkedIn URL (customized)
• Portfolio or website (if relevant)

Common Issues:

• Unprofessional email addresses
• Missing or outdated contact information
• Full street address (unnecessary)
• Multiple phone numbers (confusing)

Step 3: Professional Summary/Profile Evaluation

Assess:

• Is it present? (Highly recommended)
• Does it establish professional identity?
• Is it tailored to the target role?
• Does it highlight key qualifications?
• Is it concise (3-5 sentences)?
• Does it avoid generic language?

Red Flags:

• “Objective” statements focused on what candidate wants
• Generic phrases like “hard-working professional”
• Too long (more than 5-6 lines)
• Missing entirely

Step 4: Work Experience Analysis

For Each Position, Evaluate:

Basic Information:

• Job title present and clear
• Company name and location
• Dates of employment (consistent format)
• Logical order (reverse chronological)

Content Quality:

• Achievements vs. responsibilities (achievements preferred)
• Quantified results (numbers, percentages)
• Action verbs at start of bullets
• Relevance to target role
• Appropriate detail level

Common Issues:

• Job duties listed without accomplishments
• Missing dates or gaps unexplained
• Inconsistent formatting
• Too much or too little detail
• Passive language

Step 5: Skills Section Assessment

Evaluate:

• Relevant skills included
• Organized logically (categories or priority)
• Mix of hard and soft skills
• Industry-appropriate terminology
• Not too lengthy (5-15 skills typically)

Common Issues:

• Outdated or irrelevant skills
• Too generic (e.g., “Microsoft Office”)
• Missing key skills for target role
• Unorganized list

Step 6: Education Review

Check for:

• Degrees listed with institution names
• Graduation dates (or expected)
• Relevant coursework (if applicable)
• Honors and achievements
• Appropriate detail level for experience

Common Issues:

• Too much detail for experienced professionals
• Missing relevant certifications
• High school listed unnecessarily
• GPAs included when not strong or not recent

Step 7: Additional Sections Evaluation

Review any additional sections:

• Certifications
• Awards and honors
• Publications
• Professional associations
• Volunteer work
• Languages
• Projects

Ask:

• Is this information relevant?
• Does it strengthen the candidacy?
• Is it formatted consistently?
• Should it be included at all?

Step 8: Overall Formatting Assessment

Evaluate:

• Consistent formatting throughout
• Appropriate font (professional, readable)
• Adequate white space
• Proper margins (0.5-1 inch)
• Logical section organization
• Appropriate length (1-2 pages)
• Easy to scan

Detailed Evaluation Criteria

Content Strength Checklist

Achievement-Oriented: ☐ Accomplishments emphasized over duties ☐ Results quantified when possible ☐ Impact clearly demonstrated ☐ Action verbs used effectively

Relevance: ☐ Content targeted to intended role ☐ Most relevant experience highlighted ☐ Unnecessary information omitted ☐ Keywords from target industry included

Clarity: ☐ Information easy to understand ☐ Jargon appropriate for audience ☐ No unexplained acronyms ☐ Clear career progression

Formatting Quality Checklist

Visual Appeal: ☐ Clean, professional appearance ☐ Consistent fonts and sizes ☐ Appropriate use of bold/italics ☐ Balanced white space

Organization: ☐ Logical section order ☐ Clear section headings ☐ Information easy to locate ☐ Scannable layout

Technical Quality: ☐ No spelling errors ☐ No grammatical mistakes ☐ Consistent punctuation ☐ Proper capitalization

ATS Compatibility Checklist

Format: ☐ Standard fonts used ☐ No headers/footers for critical info ☐ Simple formatting (no tables, text boxes) ☐ Standard file format (.docx or .pdf)

Content: ☐ Keywords present from job descriptions ☐ Standard section headings ☐ Job titles recognizable ☐ Dates clearly formatted

Common Resume Issues to Identify

Content Issues

Problem: Duty-Focused Descriptions Instead of: “Responsible for managing social media accounts” Recommend: “Managed social media presence across 5 platforms, increasing engagement by 45% and follower growth by 10,000 in 12 months”

Problem: Lack of Quantification Instead of: “Improved sales performance” Recommend: “Increased territory sales by 28% ($1.2M) through implementation of consultative selling approach”

Problem: Generic Language Instead of: “Excellent communication skills” Recommend: “Presented quarterly results to C-suite executives and led client negotiations for contracts valued at $5M+”

Problem: Irrelevant Information

• Hobbies unrelated to the position
• Outdated skills
• Every job ever held regardless of relevance

Formatting Issues

Problem: Inconsistent Formatting

• Different fonts or sizes
• Varying bullet styles
• Inconsistent date formats
• Mixed alignment

Problem: Poor Use of Space

• Too cramped (tiny margins)
• Too sparse (excessive white space)
• Unbalanced sections
• Awkward page breaks

Problem: Readability Challenges

• Font too small or decorative
• Long paragraphs instead of bullets
• No clear visual hierarchy
• Walls of text

Strategic Issues

Problem: Not Targeted

• Generic resume not tailored to specific role
• Missing keywords from job description
• Emphasis on wrong skills/experience

Problem: Unclear Value Proposition

• Not obvious what candidate offers
• Strengths buried in document
• No clear professional identity

How to Give Constructive Feedback

The Feedback Sandwich Approach

1. Start positive: Note strengths and what’s working
2. Address improvements: Provide specific, actionable suggestions
3. End encouraging: Reinforce potential and progress

Be Specific

Vague: “Your experience section needs work”

Specific: “In your experience section, converting your duty-based descriptions to achievement-focused bullets with quantified results would significantly strengthen your candidacy. For example, instead of ‘Handled customer complaints,’ try ‘Resolved 50+ customer issues daily, maintaining 95% satisfaction rating.’”

Explain the Why

Help the person understand reasoning:

• “Recruiters spend only 6-7 seconds initially, so front-loading achievements helps key information get noticed”
• “ATS systems scan for keywords, so including terms from the job description improves your chances of passing automated screening”

Prioritize Feedback

Not all issues are equal. Prioritize:

1. Critical errors (typos, missing information)
2. Major impact issues (no achievements, poor targeting)
3. Moderate improvements (formatting tweaks, additional quantification)
4. Minor enhancements (word choice, stylistic preferences)

Use Examples

Show, don’t just tell:

• Provide rewritten bullet point examples
• Show before/after comparisons
• Reference strong elements elsewhere in their resume

Self-Critique Strategies

Create Distance

Before reviewing your own resume:

• Step away for 24+ hours
• Print it out (different perspective than screen)
• Read it in a different location
• Change the font temporarily

Use Fresh Eyes

• Read out loud to catch awkward phrasing
• Read backwards (sentence by sentence) to catch errors
• Have text-to-speech read it to you

Pretend You’re the Recruiter

Ask yourself:

• Would I call this person for an interview?
• What questions would I have?
• What’s unclear or missing?
• What makes this candidate stand out?

Compare Against Job Descriptions

For targeted critiques:

• Print the job description alongside your resume
• Check off requirements as you identify them in your resume
• Note gaps to address

The Quick Resume Critique Checklist

Must-Have Elements

☐ Contact information complete and professional ☐ Professional summary or profile present ☐ Work experience with dates and achievements ☐ Education section ☐ Relevant skills listed

Content Quality

☐ Achievements emphasized (not just duties) ☐ Results quantified where possible ☐ Targeted to specific role/industry ☐ Keywords present from job descriptions ☐ Active voice and strong action verbs

Formatting

☐ Consistent throughout ☐ Professional appearance ☐ Easy to scan ☐ Appropriate length ☐ Proper margins and spacing

Error-Free

☐ No spelling mistakes ☐ No grammatical errors ☐ Consistent punctuation ☐ Accurate information

ATS-Ready

☐ Standard formatting ☐ No tables or text boxes ☐ Proper file format ☐ Standard section headings

Using Technology for Resume Critiques

Modern tools can supplement human critique. Platforms like 0portfolio.com offer features that can analyze resume content, suggest improvements, and check for common issues—providing additional perspective alongside human feedback.

Technology Can Help With:

• Spelling and grammar checking
• Keyword analysis
• ATS compatibility testing
• Formatting consistency
• Length and readability analysis

Human Review Remains Essential For:

• Strategic content advice
• Understanding context and goals
• Nuanced feedback
• Career-specific guidance
• Motivation and encouragement

Sample Critique Format

Comprehensive Feedback Template

RESUME CRITIQUE FOR: [Name] Date: [Date] Target Role: [If known]

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OVERALL IMPRESSION: [2-3 sentences on first impressions and general assessment]

STRENGTHS:

1. [Specific strength with example]
2. [Specific strength with example]
3. [Specific strength with example]

PRIORITY IMPROVEMENTS:

High Priority:

1. [Issue + specific recommendation + example if applicable]
2. [Issue + specific recommendation]

Medium Priority:

1. [Issue + recommendation]
2. [Issue + recommendation]

Minor Suggestions:

• [Quick fix]
• [Quick fix]

SECTION-BY-SECTION NOTES:

Contact Information: [Notes] Summary: [Notes] Experience: [Notes] Education: [Notes] Skills: [Notes]

NEXT STEPS:

1. [Most important action]
2. [Second priority]
3. [Third priority]

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Conclusion

A thorough resume critique can transform a mediocre resume into a powerful job-search tool. Whether you’re reviewing your own resume, helping a colleague, or evaluating candidates professionally, this systematic approach ensures you address all critical elements while providing constructive, actionable feedback.

Remember these key principles:

1. Use a systematic approach - Follow a consistent framework
2. Consider both content and format - Both matter equally
3. Be specific and actionable - Vague feedback doesn’t help
4. Prioritize feedback - Focus on highest-impact improvements first
5. Explain the reasoning - Help people understand why changes matter
6. Stay constructive - Balance criticism with encouragement

The goal of any resume critique is improvement. With thoughtful evaluation and clear feedback, you can help any resume better communicate the candidate’s value—ultimately improving their chances of landing interviews and advancing their career.