Resume Writing - The Top Three Mistakes That Can Eliminate You Instantly

Maybe grammar and writing were not your best subjects in school, but resume writing means that you must have or appear like you have a mastery of the English language. While your goal should be a perfect resume with no mistakes, there are some common mistakes that appear more often than others that once you know to watch for are easy to avoid.

The number one mistake is typos. I have received numerous resumes with missing punctuation or missing a letter in a word. When the rest of the document has correct spelling seeing one word with a missing letter tells me that is no doubt a typo. Nonetheless, that can have bad results for you depending on the employer screening your resume. I have seen cover letters begin with HELL instead of HELLO, resumes with HI instead of HIM, and AX instead of TAX. You get the idea.

The number two mistake is misspelled words. While texting, email, and chatting have all led to an acceptance of misspelled words, most employers will not tolerate many misspellings in your resume and many will reject you for even one. With all the language resources available there is no excuse for having misspelled words in your resume.

The number three mistake is misuse of words. While typos and misspellings can look like mistakes, using the wrong word can make you appear unintelligent fast. Sentences such as: Managed large PUDDLE of office employees, or CONSTRUCTED staff in daily duties. There is a ton of poor content on the Internet that has been produced for the SEO race through article spinning. DO NOT attempt resume spinning! Your resume must use words correctly.

Luckily, resume writing isn't a closed book exam. You can use tips, grammar books, and the Internet to help you appear grammar savvy. If you follow these tips, you'll have a grammatically correct resume that will impress bosses and have you on your way to hired.

First, proofread. This might seem like obvious advice, but there are many reasons why people do not proofread their resumes. First, there is not enough time. You locate a job posting at the last minute and want to send in a resume before the deadline. Second, you're tired. The resume has been taking a good chunk of your time and you don't want to deal with it any more. Third, you do not know how, or you always seem to miss your own errors. Spell checking does not always pick up typos and often neither does proofreading. Our eyes have a tendency to auto correct as the words are fed into the brain. Having several people proofread your resume is advisable.

You can easily get past these excuses if you proofread a general resume that you use to create all custom versions. Even if you're running low on time, you can pull info that you already know is grammatically correct into a shorter, more job specific resume. If you have others help you with proofreading or make yourself a proofreading chart you can also avoid the problems that come with fatigue or having a hard time locating your own errors.

Second, check for awkwardness. Even if it is grammatically correct, an awkward sentence or phrase is not going to get you the job. Usually awkward sentences arise from misuse of words or wordiness. There is no word count on a resume. Simple and clear is best. To check for awkward phrases, read out loud; and then underline anything that you think might be unclear or hard to understand. Next, go back and see if there is a way that you can make it simpler using fewer words.

Third, understand punctuation and how you should use it in a professional setting. No matter how excited you are, avoid the exclamation point. Know when you need a semi-colon instead of a comma, and check for consistency. For instance, are you using or avoiding punctuation in bulleted lists? Whatever your choice, make sure it's consistent throughout the resume.

Resume writing is an art that requires technical knowledge like the knowledge of grammar. If you do not understand English grammar, you need to learn before you head out into the world of finding a job. Using web sites, books, etc, you can learn to make the grammar on your resume impeccable.

Copyright 2010 by Phil Baker. Freely distribute this article but please leave article, author name, copyright info, and links intact.