Tools and Tips to Better Proofread Your Resume and Cover Letter

Tools and Tips to Better Proofread Your Resume and Cover Letter Tools and Tips to Better Proofread Your Resume and Cover Letter A resume riddled with spelling and grammar errors will impress nobody. Think youre immune? There is a good chance you arent According to CareerBuilder, 58 percent of employers commonly dismiss candidates because their resumes have typos.Avoid being rejected outright by making use of the following tools to proofread your resume and cover letter1. Spell CheckThis is a common tool found in Microsoft Word and most other word processors. Spell check will underline words and phrases to call attention to misspellings and grammar errors. The program will also suggest corrections.2. Read Aloud / Text to SpeechI have started using Microsoft Words Read Aloud feature to help me proofread my documents. As the name suggests, this feature translates text into speech. The computer reads your document aloud to you. As you hear the document read aloud, youll be able to easi ly pick up onerrors.3. GrammarlyGrammarly is a free grammar-checker. I have used it for years. When I tell my students about this tool, they usually give me a look that says Youre old and irrelevant. Then, when I have one of those students upload their paper for proofreading and Grammarly begins flagging errors, their eyes light up as if it were Christmas morning and I had just given them the best gift ever.4. profilloser reifen WriteI discovered Slick Write while writing this article, and my tests have revealed it is a very thorough tool. It shares various reports that identify the specific writing areas in which you need a little improvement.I especially like that you can set Slick Write to flagcertain errors, such as sentences starting with the same words, excessive prepositional phrases, double words, extra spaces, and more. You can even set how many words you want your sentences to be, and Slick Write will mark sentences that are over that word count.5. FiverrYou can outsource your proofreading to a professional by way of the freelance marketplace Fiverr. After reading your document over many times,you will become so used to it that you may start missing errors. A freelancer can bring a pair of fresh eyes.6. Friends and Family While elend exactly tools, your friends and family can certainly read your resume or cover letter to look for errors. The downside of having friends and family review your resume is that they may not do so with the eagle eye that is needed to catch all your mistakes.Do It YourselfWhen youre hunting for a new job, your writing will often be your chance to make a first impression. You only get one first impression, so youll need to make it a great one. If you dont have access to the tools listed above or youd rather not use them for any reason then your best bet is to proofread yourself, word by wordPrint the document You will catch more errors while reviewing a printed document.Start at the end Start on the last page at the last se ntence. Read backwards, one word at a time. This will ensure you are focused on each word and are not reading the sentence the way you want it to sound.Read in small bites and aloudEspecially if you are proofreading a lengthy resume or cover letter, you may get a bit bored. Boredom makes you less likely to catch mistakes. Readin small bits and pieces at a time instead of reading it all in one go.Reading the document out loud will also help you catch things that do not sound correct.Proofreading takes time. Never type a document and apply for the job in the same day. Plan for proofreading. Let your document sit overnight, then read it again in the morning with a fresh brain. The extra time you take could mean the difference between getting a job and getting your resume thrown in the trash.Jaynine Howardis a military veteran whose work as a career strategist and reinvention specialist has been recognized by professional organizations throughout the nation.Master the art of closing dea ls and making placements. Take our Recruiter Certification Program today. Were SHRM certified. Learn at your own pace during this 12-week program. Access over 20 courses. Great for those who want to break into recruiting, or recruiters who want to further their career. Like this article? We also offer tons of free eBooks on career and recruiting topics - check out Get a Better Job the Right Way and Why It Matters Who Does Your Recruiting. document.write(Read more ) in Resume Writing