How to Proofread Your Resume

Employers have very limited time to see if you are a better candidate than the hundreds of other applications they receive. Resumes that have a single spelling or grammatical error may be quickly thrown out, because the employer still has 299 other applicants (or more) that took the time to make sure their resume was completely error free.

That is why proofreading your resume is incredibly important. Here are several proofreading tips to make sure your resume is perfect.

Resume Proofreading Tips

• Read it out loud, slowly.

One of the best ways to make sure your resume has very few errors is to slowly read it to yourself out loud. Enunciate each word and make sure it sounds grammatically correct.

• Look for squiggly lines.

Modern Microsoft Word spell checkers do a good job checking for spelling, grammar, and even verb confusion. If you see any squiggly lines underneath any of the words in your resume, there is a good chance it is an error.

• Don’t use a thesaurus.

Using big words does not make you sound smart. Using big words make it look like you tried to hard to make your resume sound smart. Larger words are not always synonymous with the word that you searched for in the thesaurus. If you don’t use the word in real life, don’t use it on your resume.

• Check punctuation.

When you have bulleted lists, make sure that you are consistent with your punctuation. Every bullet point should either have a period or no period, but it is all or nothing. Don’t put a period at the end of some bullets and not at the end of others.

• Check tenses.

Many people change tense in their resumes, especially when editing an old resume. Make sure that your entire resume is in the past tense, unless currently employed.

• Look at the design.

Take a step back and look at the design of your resume. Does it look visually appealing? If it looks cluttered or awkward, chances are it will look cluttered or awkward to the employer.

• Have someone else read it.

The best way to make sure your resume is perfect is to have someone else check it for errors. Sometimes it is hard to see an error that you created, since your brain thinks it is accurate. Other people will be seeing your resume with fresh eyes.

Check Before You Send

Before you send in any resume, make sure you have checked it thoroughly for errors. A single mistake can be the difference between getting an interview and getting ignored.

Take Away Tips

• Always check your resume.

Does Your Resume Hold Up Under Quick Scrutiny?

It takes a long time to write a good resume. You need to pick and choose every word, ensuring that your resume does its best to sell you to the employer. Even skilled resume writers take at least a few hours to write their resumes, and that is when they already have a template and information in mind.

After all that work you are done. You send your resume to the employer. For all of the hours you spent writing your resume, the hiring manager is going to spend less than 10 seconds looking at it. 10 seconds. Unless you pass first inspection, it will take less than 10 seconds before the employer decides if you are someone worth considering.

If you pass that test, the hiring manager is likely to give your resume greater consideration, yet the first glance by the hiring manager makes or breaks the applicant, and if your resume does not pass the 10 second scrutiny, you are not going to get called in for a job interview. As you write your resume, keep those 10 seconds in mind, and use the following checklist to ensure that your resume receives greater consideration.

Quick Glance Resume Checklist

• Appearance – Your resume should appear attractive. Everything should be broken up into easily readable sections and bullet points. Your font, template and design should be pleasing to the eye. If the resume is printed, it should be printed on nice, clean paper. If your resume does not appear attractive, you are not going to get any further consideration.
• Sections – Each resume section should be clear for the reader, and maintain a logical flow. Sections should be without clutter and their length should be related to the type of job you are applying for.
• Bullets and Accomplishments – Your achievements should be easy to read and jump off the page. Bullet points help, as they draw in the eye and allow the employer to see your best attributes right away. The employer won’t read much on your resume at first glance, but if you write your achievements correctly, they will be the first thing your interviewer sees.
• Word Choice – Your resume needs to have a variety of words that appeal to the job you are applying for. These keywords will jump off the page for the employer, because they are relevant to the open position. That is one of the reasons that writing your resume specifically for the employer is so important. Everything needs to be targeted to the employer to pass first inspection.

Getting the Second Look

Once you have passed this first glance by the employer, your resume will get a greater level of consideration. That is where the specific content of your resume is important for winning the job. If you do not pass the first inspection, however, you stand no chance at getting the job.

Take Away Tips

• Ensure your resume passes the quick visual inspection.