Having Friends/Colleagues Review Your Resume

You just revamped your resume, giving it a whole new look and you think you’ll definitely land you a job. Now, the only thing left to do is send it out to several people so they can review it and give you advice, right?

Not so fast.

It’s essential to have someone review your resume before you apply for jobs, but you’ll want to be careful who you’re asking.

Family and friends (especially grammar nerds) can proof your resume and copyedit it. They may even give a couple valuable suggestions. But be wary of sending your resume to too many people for review.

Most family and friends probably don’t know what hiring managers look for in a resume, especially in your industry. And if you send your resume to too many people, you could get loads of conflicting advice.

Have no fear: Empire Resume will delve into getting feedback on resumes, which people to avoid sending it to, and which people you should ask for feedback.

Don’t Rely on Family and Friends

As we mentioned, it’s generally not a good idea to ask friends or family members to review your resume (unless they’re experts).

Friends and family members’ views on resumes are likely biased to those in their own industry and field. So, for example, if your friend is a nurse, but you’re applying for a job as an engineer, it doesn’t make sense to get her opinions on your resume.

Another reason to avoid feedback from family and friends is that they’re probably not experts on resumes. Resume writing has become a more complicated process in recent years. An entire industry of professional resume writers (like Empire Resume) dedicates their time to writing and reviewing them.

Therefore, if you really want to land a job and have the best resume possible, why not seek advice from experts like professional resume writers?

Seek Out a Grammar Nerd

One of the biggest turn-offs for hiring managers is seeing grammar mistakes or typos on a resume. A single typo could make or break a resume.

That’s why having an editor or grammar whiz review your resume is invaluable. Editors may not be able to advise you on the overall effectiveness of your resume, but they can proofread you resume for pesky grammar mistakes.

If you have a friend or colleague who works as an editor or writer, then by all means let them proofread your resume. Another good option is to invest in a service like Grammarly that uses AI, cloud-based technology to review copy for grammar, spelling, punctuation, clarity, and language.

Grammarly and software like it go above and beyond what a normal spell-checker in a word processor does. Of course, you’ll have to spend a few bucks, but it’s money well spent.

Either way, make sure someone is checking your resume for grammar, spelling, and typos. It’s a must-do.

Ask an HR Pro

Resumes today are often screened through applicant tracking systems (ATS) before they even reach a hiring manager. This is especially true for mid-to-large-sized companies. That’s why it’s wise to ask an HR professional to take a look at your resume.

HR pros regularly review hundreds, if not thousands, of resumes, and they can give you specific feedback on red flag areas, the structure and content, and what to include and not include. They can also guide you in the right direction to increase the odds your resume makes it past an ATS.

Ask a Hiring Manager or Executive

Once a resume beats an ATS, hiring managers and recruiters spend an average of about 7.4 seconds scanning it before they make a decision, according to a 2018 study by Ladders Inc. It’s the ultimate first impression, and it’s a big reason why you should seek out a hiring manager or executive to take a look at your resume.

Hiring managers and executives, like HR pros, regularly review resumes so they have an excellent idea of what makes them effective or not. They can give you big picture and conceptual feedback on if your resume works.

However, don’t make the mistake of only showing your resume to a hiring manager or executive and no one else. Hiring managers know quite a bit about resumes, but remember that most only see the resumes that make it past an ATS. Many hiring managers don’t know too much about ATS, and they could give you some advice that makes it less likely to beat one.

What Questions to Ask

The main people to ask for a resume review: a grammar whiz, an HR professional, and a hiring manager or executive. But other than just sending them your resume, what questions should you ask?

Asking the right questions will guide your resume reviewer through the process and ensure you get helpful feedback. Some good questions to ask include:

• What was your first impression after looking at the resume for 7 seconds?
• What most impressed you about my resume?
• What could be improved?
• What type of position does it look like I’m applying for?
• When reviewing, at what point did you start skimming it?
• What questions do you have after reading my resume?

In addition to these questions, ask your reviewer advice on what to include and leave out and what parts to emphasize to stand out to a hiring manager.

Always Use a Professional Resume Writer

If you follow these tips we shared, chances are you’ll get quality feedback on your resume. But there’s one more piece of advice: You should highly consider working with a professional resume writer.

Resume writers (like Empire Resume) make a living on writing resumes that generate interviews and help people land jobs. At Empire Resume, our clients have a greater than 97% success rate of landing interviews when they use our resume writing and review package and follow our job search guidance.

Empire constantly works with hiring managers, and we stay up to date on industry and career trends to ensure the resume writing and review package you receive is top of the line. After working with Empire, your resume will clearly and concisely showcase your skills, experience, and achievements in the 6 to 7 seconds a hiring manager will spend reviewing it.

Not only that, but Empire Resume also is highly knowledgeable about applicant tracking systems and how to craft resumes that get past them.

Your Best Bet for a Resume Review

Asking friends and family members to review your resume seems fine enough but keep several things in mind before doing so. Unless your friend or family member is an HR pro, resume writer, hiring manager, or grammar whiz, you should probably take their advice with a grain of salt.

Getting feedback from too many people can easily lead to confusion, as you’ll get several different opinions. Keep in mind how qualified the person is and, if possible, seek out more qualified professionals to review your resume.

Your best bet is to get your resume reviewed and written by a professional resume writing service like Empire Resume.

Also, stay tuned to Empire Resume’s blog for more valuable insights on resumes and career advice, such as articles on How to Create a References Page, 5 Common Resume Myths, and When to Have a One-Page Resume.

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Maria Gold is a Content Manager/Writer for Empire Resume. She is dedicated to helping educate and motivate people with the latest career articles and job search advice. Her interests range from writing to programming and design. She is also passionate about innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology.

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