Resume - The Voice of Job Seekers

3 More Resources to Help Proofread Your Resume

Once again, I found additional resources to help anyone proofread his or her writing anything career related (or anything at all). Every communication leaves an impression these days and I hate to see people lose out on opportunities because spelling or grammar! So to help you proofread your resume, I scoured the web and found three more tools you can consider using.

Roadtogrammar.com

This site provides 365 categories of quizzes. Some of the categories are slightly redundant but this tool provides simple quizzes to help you with weaknesses in grammar.

I took the adverb test and scored 14 of 15. Some are more challenging than others, and while it doesn’t do the grammar check for you, a good way of reviving some of the basics learned in school and proofread your resume and other documents in the first draft. There are games and additional challenges to at least help you make a step forward improving your grammar.

Gingersoftware.com

This site is a diamond in the ruff in the scope of Internet tools. It is F-R-E-E.

I downloaded the software which works well with Word, Firefox, Chrome, and Outlook. I tried it with Word (I use 2010, but works with 2003) by entering part of this post. The Ginger box has a small box that appears at the top of the page that says F2 in green, which instructs you to highlight the sentence, paragraph, or complete paper and press F2. I chose a paragraph and Voila! The above graphic appears offering a corrected sentence.

This app does not detect the passive voice phrases. For casual notes, it wouldn’t matter, but for your résumé, too much passive voice makes you sound as if you avoid responsibility (Heeehe!). Just kidding. It’s not a good look.

For you bloggers out there using Windows Live…Sorry! It doesn’t work there but it will work with your Outlook. So if you are writing business letters or letters to employers, this will check your spelling and grammar. This is one of the best free proofreading tools I’ve tried so far.+ Add New Category

Interested in what I reviewed last fall? Here are the two articles I previously written you can check out:

Five Resources to Help Correct Resume Grammar Errors

Three More Resources to Help Correct Resume Grammar Errors Part 2

Spellboy.com

This site, unlike the others that I have reviewed, is strictly a spell check site with a couple of unique features. On the right, it has several sections that the first will check your blog (if you have one) for spelling errors. Of course, I had to try THIS BLOG and the search found 16 errors. Words like uncategorized, javascript, and jobseeker (which I purposely spell the way I do at times). Once I spelled attributes, a-t-r-r-i-b-u-t-e-s, but it does not say which article. I have 97 articles before today, no sleep loss tonight.

The other two interesting boxes feature that the app can be present on your iGoogle page or Chrome extension (by the way, all three apps mentioned today have Chrome extensions). The other suggests that it has a mobile app. I checked my Android phone, no luck.

Please let us know if it is on the iPhone in the comment section.

There is no excuse now to not proofread any written material you author. This will improve your personal brand, and hopefully, produce quality documents. Is this helpful information? What grammar or spelling challenges do you hope to overcome?

Please share in the comment section.

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About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Do Employers Understand You?

Without a well-written résumé, cover letter, and virtual profiles a job seeker will remain a question mark. You may say you’re misunderstood, but employers want to recognize the future in a candidate no matter the position grade. Employers want clarity from potential employees and see their investment flourish in a short period.

The question: Is it clear to employers that you are the one? Let us count the ways.

1. Are employers clear about what job you want?

There are many ways to say “I need a job” without forming the words. One way is to apply to massive amount of positions without any brand statement clarity or targeted functionality on your résumé. Today’s job seeker has to offer appreciating value first.

2. Are you relevant?

Employers want to know, “What skills do you offer that solve the problems we have now?” They want to envision solutions, results, and the impact you’ll have within the company.

3. You don’t speak the lingo

It doesn’t take an interview, or an extended conversation to realize that you don’t fit because you don’t know the language. Saying “lingo” is an anomaly because you are just keyword-ing your way in hopes that the lingo alone establishes your worth. On the contrary, this fails because no one speaks your language.

4. An unclear personal brand

Stating that you are a dynamic, hardworking, and competent individual describes the other 200 candidates applying for the same position. No one hiring cares that you fit in with the other candidates. The hiring manager wants to know what makes you different from everyone else. Without clearly demonstrated strengths, core competencies, or purpose offers a perspective that someone will employ you.

Read: 7 Job Tips From Your Future Self

5. You don’t ask questions to the company

Employers can only see that don’t care about the company when you don’t have questions. It speaks volumes that you didn’t research the company, you won’t personally invest effort, and you lack enthusiasm about working for anyone. Prepare questions to ask such as, “What are the measurable expectations of my job in the first 90 days?” Or, “What career path have others in this position pursued in and outside of the department?”

6. You lack likability

You have a personality and you don’t show it. Why? Don’t know. You have achievements and accolades, but 20 other candidates do too. People hire others they like, and that you stand out in their minds. Lack of personality matters, but so does tone, and eye contact.

Read: Book Review: The 11 Laws of Likability by Michelle Tillis Lederman

7. No quantity, quality, cost or time results

Without measurable performance or visible achievements is similar to watching an empty home depreciate. How will you show value without showing a $ or %?

8. No competitive mojo

Competitiveness in a job search is part desire, but mostly follow-up from the initial application to receiving the job offer by mail. Otherwise, you’re competing for a tie in the career race.

There are other ways to alienate employers. You can offer suggestions below. To launch a career search campaign without clear goals and objectives compares to a politician campaigning for an office that doesn’t exists.

The question: Is that you?

About Mark Anthony Dyson

by Mark Anthony Dyson

My 9, 9, 9 Plan to Remove Errors From Your Resume. Now.

We know how critical it is to remove resume errors as it is the first impression an employer gleans from hundreds of resumes seen for a position. That is unless you know how to leap over the hurdles you see.

Edwin Moses jumped hurdles for many years and won 122 races in a row. Job seekers should not create their own hurdles through their own writing, or someone else viewing. Your resume must be hurdle free. Edwin Moses also had the first 9-9-9 accomplishment, that is 9 years, 9 months, and 9 days undefeated, converse to Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 economic plan.

Can you imagine doing anything perfect for almost 10 years?

If you are struggling with writing your résumé, and you can’t hire a competent resume writer, then I hope the following 9-9-9 plan will work for you.

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The first 9 are straight forward:

1. Remove your physical house address.

2. Toss your super vague OBJECTIVE, SUMMARY, SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS that says nothing. Create a contribution statement than feeling obliged to filling in this space.

3. Delete interrupters such as “…as well as…”—it douses the fire you want in your résumé.

4. Castrate adjectives. 1 or 2, are fine. More than this borders on bragging than evidential.

5. Replace or banish overused words (check how many times you use provide, ensure etc.).

6. Change the italics, underlines, and funky fonts (not all scanners will pick up creative fonts).

7. Redo the challenge, action, but no result, or, challenge without an action or results. Each description should contain all three elements.

8. Revise the use I, we or me. Although acceptable and debatable in writing federal resumes, in the private or civilian sector it’s unacceptable. Your résumé is describing you.

9. Edit the long paragraphs that almost say something, but fails to say anything.

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The second 9 apply carefully

10. Age identifying information. I have always said exclude jobs that go back more than 15 years. If your degree is past 1995, leave the year off. If the position doesn’t require a degree, consider omitting the degree entirely.

11. Too much information for the wrong reasons such as age, religion etc. Things like the address and zip code is an unnecessary evil.

12. Three pages is too long for civilian and private industry résumés. Three to five-page resumes are common, and acceptable. If it doesn’t have to be four or five pages, then consider condensing.

13. It looks more like a “to-do” list. So you copied, and pasted the job description on your résumé, and it looks like a longer job description. Why would an employer ask for a résumé if everyone copied and pasted the job description, when they want to know how you contributed?

14. Company speak. If there is language that only your company uses that you include on your résumé, you will lose the reviewer.

15. Antiquated and unknown file attachments of your résumé. This is a crime in all states, but most employers will not tell you that they cannot open your attachment. Everyone can open a .doc Word extension or a PDF version.

16. Resume is broadly written for more than one position. Since most resumes keyword scanned for one position, and not having enough keywords can only achieve minimal results. One résumé, one position.

17. Lacking description with action verbs at the beginning of sentences. It is not possible to write a challenge, action, and result in four words or less. People will generally insert action verbs for most of their résumés instead of being consistent with verbs throughout the entire resume.

18. Bragging and boasting without quantifiable measures and results. No one’s impressed if you say that you are “dynamic” or “excellent” without substantiating that you are…awesome.

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9 Ingredients to Market Yourself and Your Resume

19. Sprinkle and not pour your résumé to the job market. Think twice about sending 100 résumés monthly (or weekly), and consider sending 25 monthly (or weekly). Research, and talk to a person before sending.

20. Know the name. Don’t forward a résumé without a name, even if the posting says to do so.

21. The prize is to customize. One résumé, one employer.

22. Emphasize “how well,” not only on “how.” The two signs that catches the eye are the $, and the %.

23. Cast a spell…checker for the secret ingredient. It’s the sugar that makes the medicine go down.

24. Knoweth thy resume submission rules. Strict guidelines are a source of immense frustration if you lack the understanding.

25. Keywords are not just action verbs. That is all.

26. Don’t master the art of “almost” saying something. Say it, qualify it, quantify it, succinctly, and watch the commas splices.

27. Don’t be afraid to sell yourself. No one else will.

Feel free to add others in the comment section, as there are plenty more infractions.