Have You Sended Off Your Resume This Week?

I recently got an email asking for help in winning a prize for one of the local schools. They were soliciting online votes, and in the email subject line, they wrote:

“Have you casted your vote today?”

 

This brings me to the subject of using proper grammar in your job search. Spell Check does a great job, but you must have a general clue of the correct spelling to pick the right word from the suggested list. Sometimes if you have really butchered the spelling, even Spell Check is clueless. In this case, one of those old-fashioned paper dinosaur dictionaries is invaluable. If you have at least the first few letters, you can find the word you’re looking for. You can also use an online dictionary, but may have to take a couple of swings at phrasing your Google keyword search properly.

 

Spell Check only looks for misspelled words, so if you substitute “there” for “their,” it will remain silent. Some pretty embarrassing substitutions can result from one missing letter (like omitting the “l” in public). Stellar resumes and cover letters loose (oops, I mean lose) their luster with every error, and can decide if you get an interview or are past (darn, I meant passed) over.

 

While spelling errors can result from a slip on the keyboard, grammatical errors reveal a more serious deficit. Someone was sleeping during sentence diagramming and verb parsing practice. You may have earned a fancy degree from Harvard, but if you don’t use the correct pronouns or adjective forms, someone is going to notice. Most of what anyone does in business is some form of written communication. Proper spelling and grammar are not just for writers and English teachers, they’re for everyone who emails, texts or writes a report.

 

To avoid the “Grammar Gotcha,” here are some tips before you hit the Send button:

 

1. Use Spell Check and a dictionary on your résumé and cover letter. This is not the time to take chances.

 

2. Use a free grammar-check site online, like http://www.grammarcheck.net. You cut and paste your text and it underlines words or phrases to check for proper grammar, spelling and sentence structure. It even gives suggestions.

 

3. Read your resume out loud. Hearing sentences and words sometimes is a better “flag” when something just doesn’t sound correct. Then head for the dictionary or a great book every job seeker should have, “The Elements of Style,” by Strunk and White. This book is a “must have” for punctuation as well.

 

4. Ask your neighbor or friend who is a professor, writer or English major to read your resume and ask them to “redline” any errors for you.

 

5. The Associated Press Style Guide online is another great resource. It has detailed information on listing publications (for you published academics), dates, when to use “state” or “State” and all those tricky things.

 

 

I ran this article through grammarcheck.net, and found a few questionable phrases. While the checkers themselves can get confused, these tips will save you from embarrassing mistakes and a silent phone.

 

Did you find any other errors in this piece? Let me know in the Comments section, and share your favorite resources for making a resume almost-perfect.

 

Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for communicationsjobs.net. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and helping clients reinvent their careers for today’s job market. You can read more of her blogs at communicationsjobsblog.com and view additional job postings on Nexxt.