Top 3 Resume Editing Tips

It can be daunting to write a killer resume. It’s the first impression a hiring manager will have of you and your only chance to compel that person to invite you in for an interview. Too many people focus solely on resume structure and buzz words, allowing sloppy editing to curtail their chances of scoring an interview. You can have all of the right ingredients—experience, skills, education—and still not hear back from companies because your resume isn’t edited well. We all make mistakes, but in a tight job market when employers can afford to be choosy, they’re not going to green light a resume with two spelling errors over one with zero. The resume editing tips below can help you put the finishing touches on your resume and give you a leg up in the hiring process.

Tip #1: Read it Out Loud
Not because the hiring manager will, but because reading a document aloud—word for word—is one of the best ways to spot common grammatical errors. It forces you to really pay attention to everything on the page, helping bring to light mistakes like subject-verb agreement, which will hopefully sound “off” to your ear; words that were left out or mistakenly inserted during rounds of revisions; or any inconsistencies with dates or job descriptions.
It’s also a great way to hunt for mistakes that aren’t caught by your computer’s spell check. You would be amazed at how many human resource professionals receive resumes from experienced “mangers” (rather than managers).
Lastly, reading your resume out loud can help you get a feel for whether your resume is too long, which is much more common than one that’s too short. Many people think that longer equals better, but it simply tells readers that you don’t know what’s important or how to write concisely—not exactly a great introduction. If you get to the end and think, “That took longer than I thought it would,” you might want to think about tightening it up a bit.

Tip #2: Don’t Leave Room For Doubt
Your resume needs to be concise, but it shouldn’t be so bare that you leave questions in the mind of the hiring manager—or worse yet, a bad taste in her mouth. When it comes to abbreviations or acronyms, the rule of thumb is “when in doubt, spell it out.” Extremely common business-related terms like CEO or HR are fine, but anything that gives you even a moment’s hesitation should be spelled out—especially in a job title. One hiring professional recently complained about the number of resumes she sees with “ass. manager” as a job title. It’s pretty clear that writing out “assistant” is a classier move.
Worse than that, however, is the possibility that someone on the receiving end of your resume isn’t familiar with the acronyms or abbreviations you use. Even if you assume correctly that everyone in your industry knows what TSR means, the human resources professional who first looks at your resume may not. And if he doesn’t know that producing a high Total Shareholder Return is a good thing, he might move on to someone who takes the additional three seconds to spell it out for him.

Tip #3: Wait a Day
This tip is similar to the advice given to jilted lovers who want to mail an angry letter to their ex: sleep on it. No matter how many times you review your resume the day you finish it, it’s wise to take another look at it the following day. After you’ve read the same material over and over, you begin to lose the ability to pick out flaws, but when your eyes are fresh, you may be amazed at what you find. Similarly, always ask a trusted friend to look over your resume before sending it. No matter how firm your grasp of grammar, there’s always someone you know who has a firmer grasp. That’s the person you want to review it.

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Easy Resume Fixes – Increase your Resume’s Power

Whether you realize it or not there may be many mistakes on your resume that need to be fixed and you may not even know it. While some of the mistakes may be outdated information, there are also other less obvious mistakes that still require attention. Fixing small mistakes on your resume will help you to increase the power of your resume. Knowing if these mistakes exist and how to fix them could mean the difference between your career life and death.

Here are some of the more common mistakes that need to be fixed on a resume:

• Personal e-mail: If your e-mail inbox is empty take a look at your e-mail address. No, not is it spelled right, but what does it say? A potential employer is much more likely to respond to an e-mail address such as johnsmith@someplace.com rather than ladysmanjohn@someplace.com. While a cute, clever e-mail address may be fun for you and your friends, remember you are trying to get a job so you must look professional. If you don’t already have a regular looking e-mail address, get one. They are free and could mean more interviews in your future.

• Personal information: You need to not only make sure that your personal information is correct but you need to also watch what you put down. Don’t get into race and religion on your resume as this may turn some employers off. Though they cannot legally discriminate, they can pass over your resume if they do not like what they see. Besides, it is nobody’s business but your own who you do or don’t pray too.

• Hobbies: Again, be careful of what you are putting down. You may think it is great that you enjoy mountain climbing and surfing, but a potential employer may view you as a risk taker and be turned off. The idea behind your resume is to make the employer want you, not to scare them away.

• Check the basics: Double and triple check all of your contact information. It may sound redundant but if you have just one number wrong in your telephone number due to a typo you will obviously not be receiving any calls. This is an easier mistake to make than you might think and no, spell check is not going to catch the fact that your phone number is wrong. What good is a sparkling resume if the prospective employer can’t get a hold of you?

• K.I.S.S.: That stands for keep it simple stupid and is a great acronym for your resume. Don’t get too caught up making your resume so flashy that it then becomes busy and cluttered. If your resume looks too cluttered to a potential employer, they may think that is the type of person you are and once again they will be turned off. Keep your resume easy to read and easy to follow and above all else, keep it neat.

Your resume is your sales pitch to landing an interview so you have to make the most of it. By constantly checking your resume and performing these easy fixes you will increase the power of your resume and thus increase your chances of landing the job of your dreams.

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What does a resume editing service do?

There’s been a lot of talk lately about resume editing services. It wasn’t so long ago when to most people editing a resume meant having a spouse or friend look over the document. But, in today’s competitive market it can be a good idea to turn to the professionals for resume editing. Resume editing services have a lot to offer and you can benefit tremendously from their services.

With over 3.5 million Americans sending out resumes every month, it is essential that you have a top-notch resume. Many companies specializing in resume writing also offer a resume editing service as well. And edit of your existing resume may be a more affordable way to ensure your resume stands out among the competition.

Resume editing services employ professional resume writers that have a good understanding of what makes a good resume. They are up to date with the current trends. Just as in the fashion world, resume styles can go out of fashion. Your resume may be overlooked by a hiring manager just based on an outdated template. Professional resume writers also know the current buzz words in each industry. They know what’s hot with hiring managers.

We often have a hard time selling ourselves. It can be hard to brag about ourselves to a stranger. Plus, we often sell ourselves short on our skills and accomplishments. A professional rewrite of your resume can transform it from a piece of paper listing your experiences to an attractive document highlighting your accomplishments.

There are some key areas that will be addressed in an edit of any resume:

• Proofreading & Editing. They will start with the basics – spelling, grammatical errors, and punctuation. An error of this nature can send your resume straight to the trash.
• Formatting. Potential employers may interpret your ability to organize information on how well it is presented in your resume. Professional writers employ the most advanced organization techniques to your resume.
• Structural Coherence. Your experience and accomplishments need to be presented in an orderly manner, so as to convey a natural professional evolution.
• Theme. Professionals will apply a theme to your resume based on your career objectives.
• Information. With a fresh perspective of your resume, professionals will be able to weed out information that lacks detail and replace it information that presents more meaning.
• Voice. It’s important that your resume be presented in a uniform, active voice.
• Keywords. Professionals know the popular keywords that need to be present on your resume.

You may think your resume is ok, and it may well be ok, but in today’s market you’ve got to make sure your resume stands out. Your resume may be the only way to get the attention of a hiring manager. By utilizing a professional resume editing service, you can ensure that your resume gets noticed.

There are several companies that offer resume editing. If you are on a budget, but searching for a way to jump start your job search, a professional edit of your resume could be the answer. Remember, these professionals deal with resumes all day. They know what works, what’s popular, and how to turn your resume into a marketing tool to advertise you and your experiences.