Proofreading Your Resume

 

In this video clip from Friends, Rachel misses an obvious typo in "compuper" instead of "computer." Most of us would laugh at that one because SpellCheck could have easily caught it. And SpellCheck is certainly a valuable tool to use when proofreading your resume. 

But when is SpellCheck not effective? 

SpellCheck does not detect when you use an incorrect spelling of a word that is in itself an actual word spelled correctly. The following are all actual examples from resumes I've read over the years:

** "Reported directly to the district manger."

** "Examined the problems from several different angels."

** "Responsibilities included requirements gathering, design, development, teasing, troubleshooting, and deployment."

Notice the errors in each one? Yet SpellCheck wouldn't detect any of these. It is imperative that you eye-check as well as SpellCheck your resume. If it's difficult for you to do so, here are 2 tips to help:

1. Have a trusted friend proofread your document. It is a proven phenomenon that we can look at what we have written and see not only what is on the paper, but what it is also in our mind's eye and not actually in the document. An outside party- one whom you trust- should be able to assist in this regard because he or she is looking at it with fresh eyes and can see what you cannot.

2. Proofread the resume from the bottom to the top. Yes, this sounds time-consuming, but for a 2-page resume, and your most important career document, isn't it worth it?? Some have found it effective to take a ruler and move it up line by line, reviewing only the line directly above the ruler to ensure correct spelling, punctuation, and overall grammar. 

Proofreading your resume with computer-aided tools is certainly beneficial and recommended. But even compupers can't catch everything that your pupils can.