A polished and well-written resume is crucial for a successful job search. Before submitting your resume, review the following checklist to ensure it accurately represents your skills and experience.
1. **Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation:** Proofread meticulously. Don’t rely solely on spell check, as it may not catch contextual errors (e.g., confusing “manager” with “manger”). Print the document and read it carefully, word for word.
2. **Capitalization:** Adhere to standard capitalization rules. Consult a style guide like the Gregg Reference Manual if needed.
3. **Punctuation:** Verify the correct usage of commas, semicolons, and other punctuation marks. Refer to a style guide if unsure.
4. **Run-on Sentences:** Eliminate any run-on sentences that hinder readability. Break them into shorter, clearer sentences.
5. **Consistency:** Maintain consistency throughout your resume regarding number formatting (dates, currency), pluralization, and abbreviations. For instance, format all dates uniformly (e.g., MM/YYYY). When listing software, choose consistent abbreviations (e.g., Microsoft Word, MS Word – pick one and stick with it).
6. **Education Section:** When listing a degree, include only the graduation year. Including a date range (e.g., 09/1998 to 01/2002) might confuse resume-scanning systems, which may interpret it as general college attendance rather than degree attainment.
7. **Ampersands:** Avoid using ampersands (&) except in specific cases, such as well-known company names (e.g., AT&T) or established industry terms (e.g., P&L).
8. **Hyperlinks:** Deactivate all email and web address hyperlinks in your resume. In Microsoft Word, highlight the link, go to Insert > Hyperlink > Remove Link. Alternatively, right-click the link and select “Remove Hyperlink.”