November 14, 2011 | Barb Carr

Career Development Tip: Top Résumé Mistakes to Avoid (Mistake #3)

Welcome back to the top 5 résumé mistakes series.  So far we’ve talked about two common résumé mistakes:

1) starting a résumé with an objective statement; and

2) revealing too much information about your personal life.

Time to add this mistake to the list:  Mistake #3 – proofreading your own work.

I admit that I waited until the last possible second to write this tip because every time I write anything about proofreading, I make a mistake that gets caught by my readers.  Even word nerds and grammar geeks like me will blunder when proofing our own work.  Everyone needs a proofreader for something important like a résumé.

Ask for help!  A different set of eyes will spot common errors that the spell checker won’t catch, like:

Missing words. Sometimes we so familiar with what we are writing that our brains fill in words that aren’t really on the page. Sometimes get so familiar with what we are writing that our brains fill in words that aren’t really on the page. Sometimes we get so familiar with what we are writing that our brains fill in words that aren’t really on the page.  You get the picture.

Words that sound the same but are spelled differently. Did you ever write their when you meant to write there … or maybe you meant they’re.  Do you wonder who’s (or is it whose?) affected (or is that effected?).   (Learn more about homonyms).

Misplaced apostrophes. An employer will overlook a careless comma or two, but start misplacing apostrophes, and they’ll wonder if you really know what you’re talking about.  (Learn more about apostrophes).

The difference between the almost right word & the right word
is really a large matter —
it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.
~ Mark Twain

Make sure you are not the only one who has proofread your résumé before it’s sent out.

See you next week for top resume mistake #4.

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