We’ve all been there before. You spend hours doing resume proofreading and resume editing. In a tired stupor, you send it out to a prospective employer only to notice seconds too late that you missed a crucial spelling or grammatical mistake. Your heart sinks as you realize your chances of landing an interview are probably gone forever.
Sound familiar?
The importance of proofreading a resume, cover letter, and/or application packet can’t be underestimated. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve spent crafting the perfect document(s). If there’s an obvious error in it, many prospective employers will just throw it in the garbage right there and then.
Typographical, spelling and grammatical errors send a big message (and not a good one!) to the person reading your application. They say that you don’t really care about your work. That you don’t pay attention to detail. Or that you couldn’t be bothered to proofread your own writing before sending it out.
In short, it secures your place in the “NO” pile. And that’s obviously not a place that you can afford to be when you’re searching for a position.
So, how do you make sure that your work is always properly proofread?
Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Take a break between resume writing, editing and proofreading. Come back with fresh eyes and you’ll likely catch things you didn’t notice before.
- Always read what you’ve written out loud. This will help you to catch any missed words or autocorrect mistakes.
- Find a quiet space to proofread where you won’t be distracted. Turn off any background noise, such as music or the television.
- Don’t limit yourself to reading on the computer screen – print it out and read it on paper.
- Ask someone you trust to read it over for you. This is probably the best way of all to proofread your work before sending it out.
Related: 4 Steps to Take When You Make a Mistake at Work
For more information about resume proofreading (or any part of the job application process), contact Sparks Group today. We look forward to partnering with you as you grow in your career!
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