by David Marwick, KempMillJobAssist, 12.31.25
Jessica Holbrook Hernandez founded https://greatresumesfast.com/ in 2008.
In a December 30, 2025, email, she shared the below 20-point resume checklist.
You can learn more about her at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaholbrook/
and about her company at https://www.linkedin.com/company/great-resumes-fast/
𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝟭: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴?
Before anything else, a hiring manager needs to know: “Is this person even applying for this job?”
☐ Target job title is at the top of your resume
☐ Title matches the role you’re applying for
☐ You chose clarity over cleverness (no cute titles like “Marketing Ninja”)
☐ The reader knows within 3 seconds what role you want
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: If they have to guess what you’re applying for, they won’t guess. They’ll move on.
𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝟮: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝘁?
This is where most resumes fail. They list responsibilities instead of results.
☐ You have a “Significant Accomplishments” section in the top third
☐ Your 3 biggest wins align with the job’s top priorities
☐ Each accomplishment includes metrics (not just tasks)
☐ Past performance proves future success
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: Employers judge your future performance based on your past performance. If you can’t show what you’ve accomplished, they’ll assume you haven’t accomplished much.
𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝟯: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲?
Anyone can claim to be a “strategic leader.” The question is: can you back it up?
☐ Core strengths section with 12-15 hard skill keywords
☐ Skills match the job description (not generic soft skills)
☐ Personal branding statement that couldn’t be said about anyone else
☐ Your differentiators are crystal clear
☐ Top 3 hard skills appear right under your target title
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: Your differentiators are what separate you from the other 200 applicants. If your branding statement could describe anyone in your field, it’s not doing its job.
𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝟰: 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻?
This is where specificity becomes your best friend.
☐ Every bullet follows Challenge → Action → Result
☐ You used SIZE metrics (team of 15, $1.2M budget)
☐ You used TIME metrics (reduced from 5 hours to 30 minutes)
☐ You used SCALE metrics (6 concurrent projects, 3 departments)
☐ You used QUALITY metrics (4.9/5 satisfaction score)
☐ Zero bullets start with “Responsible for”
☐ Results are specific enough to be believable and verifiable
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: The more specific you are, the more believable your results. Vague claims feel like fluff. Specific numbers feel like proof.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲
When a hiring manager scans your resume, their immediate thought should be:
“𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳.”
If your resume doesn’t check all 20 boxes, you’re making them work too hard to see your value. bAnd when they have to work too hard, they move on to someone who made it easier.