You find your dream job online and you’re chomping at the bits to apply. You grab your computer and find your latest copy of your resume. It’s just sitting there waiting to be sent. But is it ready to be seen by a prospective employer?
If you haven’t reviewed your resume in a while, it shouldn’t be sent out anywhere. Here are five steps to ensure your resume has zero errors.
Accurate resume information
The first thing that you need to do is ensure all of your information is accurate. From your contact information to your job experience, your resume must include the most recent information.
Take a look at your contact information and check if your email address and phone number are still accurate. If you need to add a new position to your job experience, now is the time to do that. And if the duties of your current job have changed since the last time you updated your resume, you’ll want to update your responsibilities. Besides, you must tailor your experiences to the job you are applying for to illustrate that you’re a great fit for the job!
Check your grammar
You need to proofread your resume to verify that you’ve used proper spelling and grammar throughout. Grammar can be tricky, and you can’t always rely on spell check.
Once your resume is up to date, run it through Grammarly. Grammarly tends to be more accurate than Word’s spellcheck, and it finds more grammatical errors and misspellings than Word. Plus, it’s absolutely free!
You also must double check that you are using proper tense. If it’s an old job, use past tense. If it’s your current job, all of your responsibilities listed should be in present tense. Using incorrect or inconsistent verb tenses is distracting and gives the impression that you didn’t take the time to review your resume.
Read your resume out loud
Print out your resume and read it out loud. This will help ensure that it reads smoothly. It may sound fine when reading it to yourself on your screen, but when you print it out and read it out loud, you’ll catch awkward phrases or the wrong use of words better.
If it’s difficult for you to read out loud, then it will be difficult for HR or a hiring manager to read it too.
Have someone else read it over
You should always have someone else read over your resume before you submit it. It’s wise to have a fresh pair of eyes take a few minutes to read it over. They will likely find errors or mistakes that you may not have caught yourself. Plus, they may have some advice to help jazz it up a little bit!
Consistent formatting
Good formatting is often overlooked. The first thing a prospective employer will do before reading your resume is give it a quick glance. They will quickly notice any glaring formatting issues. Look over your margins and make sure everything is consistent and even.
