We have already written about the most common questions job seekers might have during the resume writing process. Generalist or Specialist approach? How to polish up a resume? What are the most common resume mistakes? All of these questions we have got covered in one of our recent blog posts. This time we would like to help our readers ensure their resumes are written in accordance with the latest resume writing techniques and layouts. When you are done with creating your application documents we recommend you ask several questions that may help you understand whether you are set and ready for serious job hunting. 
Question #1: What is the message? Your resume has to bring a clear message of who you are in terms of professional experience and qualifications. In order to answer this question, we recommend giving your resume to your close friends and relatives who won't be afraid to tell you the truth. Ask your friends whether they can see a clear message in a resume. Or you can give it to a high schooler - if one can tell what kind of message your CV brings you can consider it a success. In order to achieve such result, you should use simple language and structure when listing your experience and qualifications. Don't think that hiring authorities seek complicated structures - they are people who appreciate the job seekers' efforts to make their work a bit easier.
Question #2: Does your message match specific job requirements? It is great when your resume brings a clear message of who you are, but the real question is whether your message matches the requirements of the company. If your message is about what a qualified engineer you are, but the job you are applying for is the managerial position you won't have good chances to get the job. It is extremely important to be very specific in showing to the employer that you have what it takes to do the required job. Remember that resumes are written for hiring authorities, not for yourself. Therefore, you have to tailor your resume in accordance with a specific job opening you are applying for. Even if you don't have direct experience to list (desired by an employer), you can always find skills transferable to the position you are applying for?
Question#3: Can you find the most important information within 10 secs? Hiring managers don't spend much time reading one's resume. As a matter of fact, they spend about 10 seconds on one resume. It can be simply explained by the fact that they review hundreds of CVs per day. So one of the main tasks of resume writing is to make sure the most important information about you gets notices within 10 seconds. By the most important information we mean major accomplishments - these are of primary interest to hiring authorities. When you write about your past experience, focus more on accomplishments rather than duties. The most impressive accomplishments usually go with specific numbers (i.e. "increased sales by 34% within 1 year", "reduced staff turnover rates by 19% through initiating appropriate programs", etc.)
Answering these three questions will help you polish up your resume and be more effective in your job search. Those are definitely not all questions you are to ask yourself, but if you start with these three that would be great.
