Questions You Should Ask Yourself to Write the Best Resume Possible

Writing your resume can be difficult. After all, you are writing about yourself, and that is hard for anyone to do! You are too close to your career to write objectively. While you might know all the facts, it can be tough to put them in a format and in the right words that convey what you want to a potential employer. Some people also feel uncomfortable “bragging” about themselves in a resume, but resumes are for putting forward your accomplishments and conveying your skill set.

One way to make the task of writing your resume easier is to sit down and really think about what you are trying to convey. Asking yourself questions is a great way to get started. What kind of questions?

Questions for Your Education Section

For newer graduates, this is not as tough as it may be for older people who have a long list of skills and experiences that they have accumulated since they earned their degree. Nonetheless, with degree requirements becoming a part of nearly every job now, you do need an education section on your resume. Nevertheless, what do you include? Think about these questions:

Does including my college major and not just the fact I graduated strengthen my resume for this particular job?

Have I earned any professional certificates that are applicable to this job and should be included?

Did I earn any academic recognitions that establish my expertise in a field or topic related to this job?

More recent graduates should also ask themselves: Was I active in any organizations that relate to the job I am applying for?

Questions for Your Work History Section

Here we are, the big one. This is where you have to determine most carefully what to leave in, what to add, and how to beef up the descriptions of the jobs you have held in the past. Have no fear; these questions will help get you started:

Was I hand-selected, recruited or sought out to fill this position?

What have been the most important responsibilities I have had?

What are my top five professional skills?

Is there a project/skill/responsibility I do not want to discuss at an interview?

Questions for Determining Keywords

In writing your resume, you are trying to build an impressive picture of yourself that will stand out to a hiring manager. One of the ways to do this is to use strong words that convey your skills and your accomplishments without sounding forced. To get at the keywords that will be effective for you, ask yourself these questions:

What are three of my best professional qualities?

What are three of my worst professional qualities?

If my current boss were writing my resume, how would they describe my work ethic and skill set?

If I were applying to my dream job—no matter what, surgical technologist, teacher, NFL quarterback, movie star, stay-at-home mom—what words would I use to describe myself?

What values are important to the company I am applying for?

Questions to Articulate Accomplishments

Some of the questions under this section might sound similar to those in the work history section, but that is because the two are closely tied together and incredibly important. It can be hard to decide what accomplishments to include on your resume, especially if you have had a long career, but asking these questions for each position you have held can help you sort through which ones are most effective for your resume:

Which of my accomplishments are most closely aligned with the job I am applying for?

Which three accomplishments am I most proud of overall?

Which accomplishment took the most work to achieve?

Which accomplishment was easiest for me?

Which accomplishment would I have the most fun describing during an interview?

Which accomplishment would be the hardest to explain during an interview?

What accomplishment would my current boss point out?

How do I define “accomplishment”?

Just as scientists start experiments by asking questions, you should ask questions to start the process of writing your resume. Brainstorm, put all the information on paper, and then go from there. You will not use everything you wrote down, nor should you, but in the end you will have a resume that is stronger and more effective than you would have otherwise. If you are stuck, ask other people some questions about yourself. Perhaps you have a trusted coworker who knows you are looking for a new job—ask them what they see as your professional strengths or your personal brand. When it comes to writing a resume, take your time and dig deep.

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