✍️ Proofread Resume and LinkedIn Profile 💯
According to my research there are 1,755,800 Canadians unemployed as of Jan 8, 2021. My advice to jobseekers today is to take 10 minutes to proofread and read aloud your resume and LinkedIn profile. I encourage you to have a second pair of eyes proofread your resume and LinkedIn as well. If you can achieve a near perfect resume with no spelling errors, no grammatical errors and reads with a beautiful flow, this will position you above the pack of other jobseekers. Your LinkedIn profile must closely mimic your resume in terms of consistency of start and end employment dates, company name, job titles, education, certifications and licenses. Remember, the purpose of your resume is to get you an interview. Let’s raise your chances of an interview by NOT being eliminated due to a spelling or grammatical error.
Let’s assume that your resume made it through the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) then the hiring managers and recruiters will attempt to find reasons to eliminate your candidacy from the large pile of applicants. Do not give them the ammunition to be declined due to poor spelling and grammar. Let your candidacy rise to the top!
Example 1
What prompted this blog, is that I read an article on the front page of the Toronto Star Business section dated March 2, 2021, “Most downtown workers ready to return to office, survey finds” and it reads, “But on the rare occasions last year when made the he walked from his downtown condo to the office, the few people who were there were working in rooms with doors.”
This passed the spell check however the sentence does not make sense and “made the” should be removed.
Paying attention to detail is probably one of my strengths however a weakness as well. I study everything as I read which makes me a slow reader. It drives me crazy when I see a spelling error, grammatical error, repetitiveness, inconsistencies etc… I read books with a pen in my hand and make corrections as I read.
Example 2
Another recent example of a glaring error is in Mary Trump’s new book, “Too Much and Never Enough”. On page 34, she writes, “In 1947, Fred embarked on the most important large-scale project of his career up until that point: Shore Haven, a proposed complex in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, comprising thirty-two six-story buildings and a shopping center spread over more than thirty acres.” It should read, “six-storey” as she is describing her grandfather, Fred Trump’s achievements as a builder.
Example 3
Another example of an executive’s LinkedIn profile in his most recent work experience section it reads, “… is a “hands-on” professional who feels that a through understanding of a client’s business is essential to adding value to the relationship.” This should read as “thorough understanding.”
These three examples passed spell check, a professional journalist, chief editor for a major newspaper, author with PhD, Simon & Schuster publishing company. I am sorry to say that I proofread a professionally written resume that a candidate paid $250 to write and I found 4 errors within the 2 pages.
We still need to add the human touch to proofread the resume and Linkedin profile. Again, please have a second set of eyes ? read your resume before you submit your next application.
May your candidacy rise to the top and I trust that you will be granted a well-deserved interview.