Think of your résumé as an advertisement. An advertisement not just of your work history and training, but also of your communication skills, your thoroughness, and your attention to detail.
I recently received a résumé from an applicant for an administrative assistant position who described herself as “vry detaled orientd” (she meant “very detail oriented,” I think!). I swear that I am not making this up! Despite her long employment history in administrative support, her résumé disqualified her because of its large number of typographical mistakes. To my critical eye, her résumé advertised someone who isn’t careful with important documents. None of my clients can afford that!
My first recommendation for every job seeker is that you utilize the spell-check function of your computer’s software.
But don’t stop there! Some of the most common spelling mistakes actually create other words, which spell-check and even grammar-check just won’t catch. The position title isn’t “manger;” it’s “manager.” The job duties probably included not “costumer service,” but “customer service.” And I’m willing to bet that your sales territory isn’t the central “Untied States,” but rather “United States.” I once received a résumé from an outstanding candidate (whose skill warranted a 6-figure salary), who referred to his recent MBA classes as “coarse work” (rather than “course work”).
So my second recommendation is that you personally proofread your résumé, as well as asking at least two friends or colleagues to check it. Give it a week and proofread it once more. If you live near a college or university, you might even find someone who proofreads papers willing to do this for a small fee. In this competitive market, it’s worth every penny!
Third, double-check your résumé’s contact information for accuracy. Is the email address still active and set to allow unrecognized incoming email accounts? Are the phone numbers correct (with no digits reversed)?
Finally, review your résumé for consistency. If the location of your most recent employment is identified as “St. Charles, IL,” do the others follow this same pattern? If another employer location is “St. Charles, Illinois” and yet another is just “St. Charles,” these inconsistencies look careless and can easily be fixed. Pay attention to patterns of capitalization and punctuation, too. If some of your bullet-point phrases start with a capital letter (which is common practice), then all of them should. If some of your bullet-point phrases end with a period, then all of them should.
One more step in your successful search!
