Tips for Flawless Resume Proofreading
Resume proofreading is final yet essential step of preparing your resume for submission. A thorough proofreading can make the difference between getting an interview and being rejected. So, make sure the final proofreading was done properly, either by checking it on your own several times or by using a resume proofreading service.
Typos, missed hyphens, lack of commas and grammar errors aren’t global deal-breakers; still, the excess of mistakes on your resume irritates the recruiter and forces him opt for other candidate who bothered to polish his resume before sending it in. Let’s consider the working methods of proofreading you can use right away as soon as you’ve finished reading this post.
- Read it aloud
This method won’t help you with typos and spelling. However, it’s perfect to detect and eliminate errors in consistency, find out where the words don’t flow well and put the necessary commas you’ve missed. Reading aloud helps to comprehend whether your writing makes sense and sounds convincing, thus making your writing more clear and effective.
- Read it backwards
When we read the text as usual, i.e. left to right, our brain comprehends the overall meaning of the text rather than spots grammar and punctuation issues. Try doing just the opposite and read your resume from right to left. Sounds strange, but this unusual way is what will help your brain to focus on each letter and each word, and thus spot what was written wrong.
- Ask someone else to proofread it
After you’ve spent hours and hours composing a resume, you lose the sharpness of vision and are likely to miss out even the obvious errors. So, hand your resume to a colleague or a friend to proofread. The person who isn’t familiar with the text will spot all of your mistakes at once. Hesitant about your friends’ language skills? Hire a professional proofreader resume to get even the tiniest mistakes eliminated.
- Print it out
It’s not a secret that our eye reads the text on the screen and on page differently. The printed resume gives you the entire picture of how your resume looks without necessity to scroll down the page. You may be surprised that what looked fitting for a digital resume doesn’t look that good on paper; maybe, you’ll feel it’s better to change the font or layout. Read the paper copy, paying special attention to hyphens, commas, periods and lists and check whether consistency is preserved in the document.
- Find a quiet place
The best place for proofreading is a quiet room with TV, music and smartphone notifications off. When we distract to reply to the message or talk to someone, our brain gets less focuses when we finally get back to work; thus, proofreading won’t be as effective as it could be. That’s why it’s a bad idea to proofread in the office, in a dining room with family members, etc.
- Use the spell checker
The spell checker cannot spot and correct all possible mistakes. It also doesn’t recognize misused words (for instance, ‘you’re’ instead of ‘your’). Nevertheless, the spell checking software can correct typos, grammar errors, remind to put periods and commas where you missed them, etc. Proofreading resume is not limited to running it through a spell checker, but using a checker will never do you any harm.
- Verify contact details
…and other key information of your resume. See if your phone number and email, as well as contact information of your referees, are spelled correctly, otherwise you’ll create barriers on your way to the interview. You don’t want to be in the situation when the hiring manager calls you to invite for an interview but cannot reach you because you’ve put the old (or wrong) number on resume, do you?
- Watch the tense
The rule assumes that your past responsibilities should go in past tense, and your current job must be written in present tense (you may use past tense for the project you’ve finished in this position, though). Check section by section to make sure that the tense is used right and is consistent during the section. Messing the tense not only shows your lack of attention, but also can confuse the employer as he/she might think you’re still doing something you finished years ago.
- Check the capitalization
Yet not a grammar error, misuse of capital letters can destroy all positive impression of your resume. Writing company and position names without capitals (google inc.) or capitalizing unnecessary information (Managed Sales and Marketing Teams) look equally bad. Here’s a brief list of what should be capitalized: company/university name, position name, section headings, names of trainings and certifications).
- Repeat the proofreading
It’s tempting to proofread your resume only once and then send it in response to a job ad. However, to make sure you’ve done the proofreading properly, you need to repeat it several times, making breaks between the proofreading sessions. At second or third attempt you can suddenly find a typo or a punctuation error that didn’t fall into your eye before.
Proofreading is a time-consuming work which requires attention to detail and accuracy. However, our advice will help you make this tough process easier and more effective. If you have concerns about grammar and punctuation and want more details on what the proofreading process entails, you can consult online dictionaries or academic resources such as Purdue OWL for more helpful tips.
Why the edited text is a must for a brilliant resume
Of course, recruiters rarely check grammar in resumes, one typo will hardly overshadow your skills and experiences. Meantime, poorly written career documents can prevent you from getting a dream job.
Negative consequences of resumes with grammatical errors
✓ Spelling and punctuation errors make an unpleasant impression
Cover letters and resumes with a bunch of typos and mistakes look bad. Poor grammar is associated with narrow knowledge, insufficient intellectual skills, and inadequate communication skills. A potential employer can form a wrong view about subject matter experts making too many mistakes in words.
✓ Mistakes in application materials lead to misunderstandings
Without spell check, your career document can contain wrong words that change the meaning of your ideas and intentions.
Avoid factual mistakes in the name of your previous company, publications of press releases, brand names, etc. If the HR manager checks the specifically stated names and finds no information on such references, it will result in misconception. So, please, make sure the names of companies referred, respective holders, contact information, as well titles of your published articles are written correctly.
✓ Your online resumes can become invisible for applicant tracking software
ATS algorithms search for suitable resumes by analyzing their headings and content. If you write a job title with a mistake, you risk remaining unnoticed for them. Please, check if keywords in your resume correspond to the job posting.
Editing does not take too much time, especially if you know the English language at a decent level. Do not ignore this final step of resume writing. An error-free job application document contributes to your positive image, conveys information correctly, and improves your chances to get the job of your dream.
3 Reasons to use professional proofreading services
If you can’t compromise the quality of your resume and need a truly flawless resume, then your choice is professional resume proofreading. Everybody makes mistakes, but only editors by trade can spot and correct your tiniest mistakes and help you build your perfect professional image on paper.
We have been delivering resume services for over 9 years, which is almost a guarantee that your resume will be edited or proofread to the highest standard. With a satisfaction rate of 96%, we know how to meet the needs of our customers.
- Excellent language skills
Our editors have a degree in English and pass regular trainings. This helps us provide high-quality resume proofreading services for job-seekers all around the world.
- 24/7 availability
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What if you hire our proofreader?
If you lack professional proofreading skills or time to analyze your resume or cover letter, our professionals are willing to check everything and give objective feedback. We have recently hired a team of new proofreaders to enlarge the staff and now successfully work with multiple projects. Our experts are here to eliminate all possible mistakes in your career documents. Buy your resume here!
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