Tips for Editing your Resume

Your resume is your potential employer’s first impression of you. It's amazing what a well-written and nicely presented resume can do for your job search. Before you send your resume to potential employers, follow this checklist to make sure you're sending out the best possible represenation of yourself. More than likely, an assistant or human resources professional will quickly scan your resume. If your resume doesn’t grab their attention in those few moments, they probably won’t be calling you. It’s sad, but it’s true.

1. Grammar, spelling, punctuation - Use the grammar and spell check function, then print it out and read the document word for word. Spell checker does not pick up on words spelled incorrectly when you type a real (i.e., you meant to type "manager" and accidentally typed "manger".) It's also good to have at least one other person proof read your resume before sending it to the masses. He (or she) may find something you didn't.

2. Capitalization - Use proper capitalization rules. If you don't know them, use a reference guide such as the Gregg Reference Manual.

3. Punctuation - Check for proper use of commas and semi-colons. Again, if you are unsure, refer to the Gregg Reference Manual.

4. Run-on sentences / Incomplete sentences - Check to make sure you do not have run-ons that are hard to read. On the flip side, check to make sure you have completed a thought.

5. Consistency - You must be consistent with your number usage (dates, money, numbers), plurals, and abbreviations. For example, don't list one date as 8/2004 and then list another date as 3/15/2004. Also, be aware of listing software consistently (abbreviation use). MS Word and Microsoft Outlook are both correct, but not consistent. Many managers like to see at minimum the month and year for start and end dates of employment. Just listing the year tends to open a red flag that you may have a potential gap in your employment that you're trying to hide.

6. Education section - When you have a degree, list only the year that you obtained your degree. When you list your dates, (i.e.: 9/1998 to 1/2002) many resume-scanning systems will not recognize that you obtained a degree, only that you attended college for a period of time.

7. Ampersands - Ampersands (&) do not belong on a resume. There are a few exceptions. One exception is a well-known company name (AT&T). Another exception is well-known industry terms (P&L).

8. Hyperlinks - All e-mail and web addresses that you list need to be deactivated in your resume. To do this in MS Word, highlight the link, go to the "Insert" drop down menu, scroll down to and click "Hyperlink", and on the lower left-had side of this screen there should be a little button that says "Remove link", when you find it, give it a little click and voila! Alternatively, you can highlight the link, right click on it, and scroll down to "remove link" to deactivate the link.

9. Abbreviations - Be careful with using the corporate lingo from a previous employer in your resume. It does not translate well from company to company and usually has a completely different meaning. If you do need to use a corporate abbreviation, spell it out first and then identify what the abbreviation is. i.e., Semiconductor Product Sector (SPS).