Important Resume Error Prevention Tips

Spell check is not the only tool you should be using to ensure that your resume is completely error free. Those pesky errors can turn your masterpiece into a monster piece with one misplaced letter. In addition to your very careful proofreading effort to ensure there are no spelling or grammatical errors, there are several important things you should keep in mind when creating your results focused resume:

• The purpose of any good resume is to get you a job interview. Your resume must convey the most relevant and marketable information in a format that is easy to read.
• If you have recent work experience that is not relevant to the job you currently seek, it may make more sense to include this information towards the bottom of your resume in a separate section rather than confusing the reader with impertinent information, particularly if there is a date overlap.
• To illustrate what I mean here, let’s take the example of a candidate we will call Joe Smith. Joe is currently working for a major financial institution, but wants to return to a full-time role in the culinary arts.  Presently, Joe is employed at a bank; in his spare time he caters private parties and also works on an as-needed basis for some upscale restaurants.
• Since he is pursuing roles in the foodservice industry, Joe should highlight his culinary skills and move his financial experience to the bottom of his resume. If he starts his resume detailing his banking job, it will be unclear to the hiring manager that Joe is actually interested in making a transition.
• In Joe’s case, he needs to position himself so that the reader understands that he has very relevant culinary skills. With both banking and culinary experiences, Joe is going to reference the most relevant information first to support his efforts and drive his success in his transition.
• The top portion of the first page of the resume must be dedicated to highlighting those skills that meet the needs of a specific opportunity.  Candidates often feel they should tell the entire story of their career in the exact order it occurred.  While this is technically ";accurate,"; there are other ways to showcase your talents and still provide the chronological history.
• List your duties and daily responsibilities in paragraph format.  Your bullets should include details of specific situations in which you made valuable contributions. Bulleted items need to highlight not only what you did, but also how your efforts helped the company to achieve targeted results.
• Share your accomplishments by way of example. Reference the outcomes of your efforts. Use numbers. This will set you apart from others and let hiring managers and recruiters know that you are an accomplished professional who will bring considerable value.


• If you have a long list of bullets that details every single thing you did at a company, many of the important items may be overlooked. Keep your bulleted limited to 6 or 7 salient points per job to achieve better results.
• While this may seem like a small thing, attention to detail is important when it comes to the overall impression you make. If your resume is sloppy, then what will your work be like?
• It is easy to repeat the same thing twice without realizing it.  Since you only have a finite amount of space, don’t waste your valuable space by repeating yourself.
• A resume that repeats the same phrase over and over again is boring. Even if your duties were similar from one company to the next, change the wording to keep it interesting.  Thesaurus.com is a great resource to help you come up with new words.
• One of the most common resume errors is over bulleting.  I cannot tell you how many resumes I see that do not use bullets effectively. This resume error can bury your valuable contributions in a sea of duties. Bullets should be used to showcase the most compelling achievements.
• Check your resume for inconsistencies and redundancies. A spellchecker or grammar checker cannot look at your resume with an eagle eye to make sure that all dates are formatted in the same way, all text is the same font style, and all indents and bullets are in proper alignment.

When it comes to resume errors, taking the time and effort to make your document 100% perfect is worth it. Let’s face it; your career is VERY important.  Not only does your job provide you with the financial rewards, but it is also fosters a sense of satisfaction. Create a compelling document that will reveal your strengths to make the most of your job searching experience.