Nothing shuts the hiring door more quickly than a resume with typos. Reviewing your document over and over can make your eyes glaze, which in turn makes your chances of missing a typo increase exponentially!
I run resumes past two grammar and spell checks – one provided free with Microsoft Word and the other a subscription service.
As a third and final safety net I rely on this handy 12-point proofreading checklist:
#1: Is my name and contact information the same at the top of each page? The second page should have first and last name, telephone and email.
#2: Are my serial commas in place accordingly? Including and omitting a comma before “and” are both acceptable – just make your choice and stick with it!
#3: Is my text spacing consistent (i.e., 1 or 2 spaces after each period, the same distance between all bullets? Both are acceptable — but like serial commas you must commit to one and stick with it throughout.
#4: Has my font type and size remained unchanged throughout the document? It’s OK for your subject headers to be bigger than the main text — just make sure you are consistent all the way through.
#5: Have I accurately and consistently capitalized? (i.e., names of departments, job titles, names of companies)
#6: Are my margins the same size both right to left and top to bottom? I recommend you don’t go any wider than one-inch or more narrow than 1/2 inch.
#7: Is my tab, bullet and line alignment constant throughout?
#8: Do my bullets all look the same?
#9: Is my chosen formatting for dates, titles and company names consistent (i.e. underlines, italics, bold)?
#10: Is there a period at the end of each sentence?
#11: Does my two-page resume have a page number? A great place to include the page number is as part of your header along with your name and contact information.
#12: Have I had a second set of eyes review this?
EXTRA TIP: Avert “death by wordsmithing” at all costs. After two or three reads, any edits you are making may truly not add any quantifiable value. Consider the return on your investment when engaging in future edits — otherwise you can drive yourself crazy!