Don’t submit your resume without checking spelling!
In the days of autocorrect and spell check, you may be tempted to stop checking spelling. But despite all these helpers, spelling can easily go wrong.
Are you checking spelling?
In an article, I spelled everything without the “r” as eveything in the title. As I type that now, it is turning red but in the title, it didn’t. I was tired and wanted to publish what I thought was a complete and accurate article. One thing resume writers watch out for is spelling errors. I caught it this morning when I was sending it out on Twitter, retracted the Tweet, and fixed the spelling.
In fact, the Design Resumes process of LIVE writing was created, in part to allow my clients to help proofread. Two pairs of eyes are better than one! It also increases creativity because it builds in brainstorming.
Ever wonder why there are editors on newspapers? Proofreading and editing is essential in every field. Check out this post from Davina Haisell, a professional proofreader and editor who gives tips for checking your work.
6 Tips for checking spelling in your resume (And any other document)
- Read backward. (don’t know why this works except that when our eyes are forced to move slower as we read backward, we catch more things.)
- Print your resume and read it again. We read differently on the screen than in print and may catch more that way.
- Read out loud. Our eyes move so fast that we miss things. When forced to read out loud, errors that slipped by are becoming apparent.
- Get another pair of eyes. Like I mentioned above when I discussed the Design Resumes LIVE writing process, you become convinced of what it says. When someone else is reading, they may catch errors you missed.
- Give it time. Take a break from your resume and give it another read later. When we are deep in the writing process, we think we know what is there and the words may say something totally different.
- Check your terms. When I tweeted about Canadian geese some years ago, I found out that they were really Canada geese. Between acronyms and very field-specific terms, sometimes Google is your best friend.
My unique LIVE writing and coaching process can help you achieve results through the Design Resumes personalized job search and resume writing strategy that takes the mystery out of the process. To find out how simply click here!
2 Comments
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Julie Walraven
Professional Resume Writer
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Hi Julie.
This is a great example, because one of the most common areas for typos to occur is in a heading. I’m glad you’ve pointed out this particular example, as it is something to be aware of if you’re publishing a blog post.
Our eyes so easily read what we believe is there and that is why we miss typos like this. You’ve provided some excellent tips to help people proofread their own work. And thank you so much for the link to my blog. I appreciate it!
Good to see you here, Davina. Even for people whose spelling and grammar are good, proofreading and editing is essential. Hope all is well in your new location!