As a leading recruiting agency, we cannot overstate the importance of good grammar and a lack of typos on a resume and in a cover letter. In fact, according to recent research, 63% of senior managers said just one or two mistakes on a resume would eliminate that applicant from consideration for the job opening. While only 17% said one typo would eliminate a candidate from the running, a whopping 46% said two mistakes would be cause to not consider a candidate.
Considering errors are easy to make on resumes – especially after you’ve read yours 100 times over – what can you do to ensure the one you submit to a hiring manager is blunder free? Consider these tips:
- Eliminate pronouns. That means I, we, he, or she. Instead, start each sentence with a verb. For instance, don’t write: “I led a team of five.” Do write: “Led a team of five.”
- Scrap helping verbs (such as may, might, have, and had). These tend to weaken your claim of competency. Instead of saying “Have spearheaded,” simply write “Spearheaded.”
- Be mindful of tenses. When discussing a job you currently hold, use the present tense. When talking about former positions, use the past tense. Other than that, don’t shift back and forth between different tenses.
- Be succinct. Nothing will lose a hiring manager’s attention faster than complex, run-on sentences. So avoid them at all costs. For instance, sentences like the following are big resume killers:
Researched and interviewed various telecommunications vendors with the aim of reducing expenses by 15% in order to apply cost savings elsewhere within the company and was actually successful in cutting costs by 20% by renegotiating a new contract with the current vendor.
Instead write:Reduced telecommunications expenses by 20% by renegotiating a new contract with the current vendor.
- Avoid abbreviations. Abbreviations can many times be company specific, while also being informal. Considering a resume and cover letter are formal business documents, don’t use abbreviations unless they are industry specific and can add to your credibility as a candidate.
- Proofread. You should proofread your resume and cover letter multiple times. Also, be sure to conduct a spell check to catch any obvious errors; ask your spouse or a friend to proofread for you; and finally, read the documents out loud before you submit them to ensure everything flows and no errors were missed.
Need help creating a resume that gets results? Contact Peoplelink. As a leading recruiting agency, Peoplelink will work with you to craft an effective resume and match you with potential job opportunities that are a great fit for you. Contact Peoplelink today to learn more or search our jobs now.
