grammar | Robin's Resumes (r)

Common Grammar Errors Can Undermine Your Resume

Dec 22 2013

Resumes and cover letters that include spelling and/or grammar mistakes are often tossed aside by employers. Errors in spelling and grammar lead employers to believe that you are not interested in detail or unable to put in the effort required for a potential job. Some of the most common spelling and grammar mistakes found in both resumes and cover letters are:

It’s vs. its

“It’s” is a contraction of “it is” or “it has” and should not be used in a resume (always spell out verbs).
“Its” means “belonging to it”; for example, it is correctly used in the sentence, “Recruited by owner of company to improve its turnaround time and customer satisfaction.”
Handy clue: Its’ is not a word.

There vs. they’re vs. their

“There” shows direction or placement; for example, it is correctly used in the sentence, “Consulted with HR at University Hospital. Improved employee retention there by 15%.” In that sentence, “there” means “at the hospital.”
“They’re” is a contraction of “they are” and should not be used in a resume (always spell out verbs).
“Their” means “belonging to them” and is correctly used in this sentence where it means “the hospital’s”: “Consulted with radiology team at University Hospital. Improved their employee retention by 15%.”
Handy clue: When you read “there” (or “they’re”) in a sentence, substitute “the company’s.” If the sentence does not make sense, use “their” instead.

Effected vs. affected

“Effected” means “brought about” as in the sentence: “Effected a 10% improvement in patient outcomes.”
“Affected” means “influenced” or “impacted” as in the sentence: “Reviewed all procedures that affected patient outcomes.”
Handy clue: Most of the time, you want effected.

Ensure vs. insure vs. assure

“Ensure” means that you are making sure of something: “Ensured protection of client’s valuable possessions.”
However, if you “insure” something, you are providing insurance coverage: “Interviewed insurance companies and insured antiques, art collections and collectibles for client.”
“Assure” means that you are telling someone something in a confident or positive way so as to get rid of any doubts that they may have had: “Assured clients that their possessions would be protected through insurance and security services.”
Handy clue: Unless you work in the insurance industry, most of the time you want ensured.

Eliminating spelling and grammar mistakes is crucial in resumes and cover letters. At Robin’s Resumes® we make sure that your resume always meets the highest standards of grammar, spelling and punctuation, while showcasing your value to potential employers.

Ten Tips for Proofreading Your Resume

Jul 21 2013

Set the resume aside for at least 24 hours before you review it. With a refreshed eye, you may see problems you missed before.
Review your resume on paper and on the screen. You will see problems on the paper copy that aren’t apparent on the screen and vice versa.
Avoid online grammar checkers. They are all horrible. Check the grammar yourself. If grammar is not your strong point, ask someone else to check it.
Use a dictionary as well as an online spell checker. If you misspell “manager” as “manger” or type “principle” when you mean “principal,” the online spell checker will not find the error.
Use the Internet to check all company names—even the ones you are absolutely sure you know. Companies have a way of modifying their names (think Wal-mart and Walmart).
Be especially careful when checking your own contact information. You expect it to be correct and may not see errors.
Look for problems with punctuation such as double periods at the ends of sentences, commas instead of periods or hyphens used as dashes.
Make sure your format is consistent: all your job headings and bullets should be the same size, font and style; spacing around bullets and headings should be uniform; your right margin should be consistently justified or ragged right.
Look for keywords that you have identified from ads and job postings. Do they fit smoothly into the description of your skills and accomplishments?
Is there any place you can be more specific? Look for adverbs and adjectives (quickly, cost-effective, successfully) and see if you can replace them with details (in less than a year, at a savings of $3,000, ranking in the top 10% of all salespeople).

Spelling, grammatical, factual, format and style errors can easily prevent your resume from being chosen by hiring managers and recruiters from among the hundreds they see every day. If you are not sure whether your resume is letter perfect, please contact Robin’s Resumes®. We can help.

Is Your Resume Readable?

Dec 23 2012

A resume is a written document and, like all written documents, it has to be readable. A readable document is grammatical, logical, concise, and interesting. Let’s take each of those qualities in turn.

The grammar you use in speech or in a quick email to family and friends is not the formal grammar a resume requires. Online grammar checkers are useless. If your formal grammar is sketchy, please consult a professional writer.

Logical writing is organized. Whether that organization is present to past, most relevant to least relevant, or most impressive to least impressive will depend on what your resume is trying to accomplish. But once you settle on your logic, don’t violate it.

Concise writing eliminates excess words and information. For example, in the phrase “new innovative technology,” the word “new” is redundant; the word “innovative” means “something new.” Concise writing focuses on the skills and accomplishments that bear directly on the job opening.

Interesting writing keeps the audience in mind. What is the company interested in hearing about you, as revealed in their advertisements, job postings, and website? For companies, numbers are almost always interesting ($50,000 budget; 5 direct reports; 6 months; 15 customers; 3 countries). Interesting writing is also varied. In a resume, that means using a variety of strong verbs rather than relying on weak phrases like “was responsible for” or “played a role in.”

Professional resume writers know how to make a resume grammatical, logical, concise, and interesting, as well as accurate. Visit the Robin’s Resumes® website for examples of readable civilian and federal resumes. Then contact me to help you with your resume.