Resume Proofreading Checklist

A well-written resume can be the difference between you getting an interview for a job and your resume ending up in the shredder. Your resume is the first thing that an employer sees from you, so most employers will form an impression of you based upon this single piece of paper.

Spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, typos, and incorrect information in your resume are inexcusable. The fastest way to get your resume thrown in the trash before the employer has finished reading it is to write a resume filled with mistakes; employers will not hire you if they think you will produce the same poor quality work for them that you produced in your resume.

The best way to ensure that your resume will get read by an employer and you will be considered for a position is to write a clean, clear, and concise resume. Your resume reflects the effort and care you will take in your job, so it is important that your resume be perfect.

Print a copy of the Resume Proofreading Checklist and mark it up to help you gauge your progress.

Spelling Mistakes

• Don't use words with which you aren't familiar.
• Use a dictionary as you write.
• Perform a spell check on your finished resume.
• Carefully read every word in your resume. If you write "from" instead of "form," your spell check will be unable to detect your mistake.
• Have a friend proofread your resume for you.

Punctuation Mistakes

• Check for periods at the end of all full sentences.
• Be consistent in your use of punctuation.
• Always put periods and commas within quotation marks. (i.e., Won awards including the "John H. Malcom Memorial Service Award.")
• Avoid using exclamation points.

Grammatical Mistakes

• Do not switch tenses within your resume. The duties you currently perform should be in present tense (i.e., write reports), but ones you may have performed at past jobs should be in past tense (i.e., wrote reports).
• Capitalise all proper nouns.
• When expressing numbers, write out all numbers between one and nine (i.e., one, five, seven), but use numerals for all numbers 10 and above (i.e., 10, 25, 108).
• If you begin a sentence with a numeral, spell out that numeral (i.e., Eleven service awards won while employed.).

Choose Your Words Carefully

• Be on the lookout for the following easily confused words: accept (to receive), except (to exclude), all right (correct), alright (this is not a word), affect (to bring about change), effect (result), personal (private), personnel (staff members), role (a character assigned or a function), roll (to revolve).
• Use action words (i.e., wrote reports, increased revenues, directed staff).

Other Potential Mistakes

• Check dates of all prior employment.
• Check your address and phone number - are they still current and correct?
• Check the number of returns separating your categories: are they consistent?

Design Is Important

• Don't overcrowd your resume; allow for plenty of white space.
• Keep your resume to one page whenever possible.
• Keep the number of fonts you use to a minimum -- two at the most.
• Use a font that is easy to read. Times Roman works well.
• Do not overuse capitalisation, italics, underlines, or other emphasising features.
• Make sure your name, address, and a phone number appear on your resume and all correspondence, preferably at the top of the page.
• Print your resume on white or cream paper using a good-quality printer. Second- and third-generation photocopies are a no-no.
• Print on one side of the paper only.

What To Omit

• Omit salary history.
• Omit sex, race, marital status, or other similar personal information.