The Importance of Proofreading Your Resume (and Other Crucial Adjustments)

When applying for a new job, candidates must do a handful of things to ensure that they make a positive first impression on potential employers. One of those things is sending in an outstanding resume. One critical step that must take place is proofreading the resume, to avoid any mistakes, grammatical errors, or other snafus that can cost a job.

As a job seeker, submitting just any old resume for a job could cause you to never hear back from the company. When you take the time to carefully proofread your resume, you vastly improve your chances of receiving a call for an interview. Remember, the main purpose of a resume is to get you that first interview opportunity! Let’s dig deeper into why it’s important to proof your resume and make any other crucial adjustments now.

How to Proofread Your Resume

The best way to proofread your resume is to read it aloud. When you read a document aloud, you are more prone to find any mistakes made in your grammar and punctuation. Have someone you trust proofread your resume as well in an effort to find any other issues that you might have missed. Once you proofread your resume, make sure you fix all of the mistakes found immediately. Another tip is to review your resume backwards to help catch misspellings on it.

Checking the Resume for Attractiveness

You might not think this is important, but it is vital to your success at finding a job. The resume must flow well and should not have any mismatched font types or font colors. Your resume needs to have a format that is very easy to read because employers do not have time to search the resume for your most important information. Typically, an employer wants to see a chronological resume listing your last position first.

Using Keywords Related to the Job Search

Your resume should use keywords that are related to your job search in order to get the attention of potential employers. Many companies use automated programs to sift through resumes submitted for open jobs, which is why keywords are just as important on a resume as they are when writing content for the Web. Do not over-stuff your resume with keywords because this will just be viewed as spamming. Make sure you include relevant skills that your new employer would be looking for in an employee. Does your resume match the job description of the position you are applying for to attack the interest of the hiring manager?

Focus on Clear Accomplishments

To secure a job interview and then an offer of employment, focus on your top accomplishments and don’t be afraid to brag about yourself. You can do this by editing your job descriptions from passive wording to active wording. This will help you explain the accomplishments you enjoyed at previous jobs in your career. Quantify your successes and achievements either in money or time saved for the company or income brought into the organization.

Using the Most Relevant Job Info

Including your entire career story will not help on a resume, and you should select information that’s relevant to that job posting. You do not need to include jobs from right out of college if you have been in the working world for more than 10 years. Instead of worrying about how long your resume is, you should be focused on the relevance of your resume when proofreading it.

Proofreading your resume is an important part of the job search process. If you submit a resume that is full of mistakes, there’s a strong likelihood that you will never hear from an employer again.

Casey Resources provides a number of services for clients and candidates to be successful in their job search. Contact a leading staffing firm in Chicago to learn more  today.