A resume is a written document and, like all written documents, it has to be readable. A readable document is grammatical, logical, concise, and interesting. Let’s take each of those qualities in turn.
The grammar you use in speech or in a quick email to family and friends is not the formal grammar a resume requires. Online grammar checkers are useless. If your formal grammar is sketchy, please consult a professional writer.
Logical writing is organized. Whether that organization is present to past, most relevant to least relevant, or most impressive to least impressive will depend on what your resume is trying to accomplish. But once you settle on your logic, don’t violate it.
Concise writing eliminates excess words and information. For example, in the phrase “new innovative technology,” the word “new” is redundant; the word “innovative” means “something new.” Concise writing focuses on the skills and accomplishments that bear directly on the job opening.
Interesting writing keeps the audience in mind. What is the company interested in hearing about you, as revealed in their advertisements, job postings, and website? For companies, numbers are almost always interesting ($50,000 budget; 5 direct reports; 6 months; 15 customers; 3 countries). Interesting writing is also varied. In a resume, that means using a variety of strong verbs rather than relying on weak phrases like “was responsible for” or “played a role in.”
Professional resume writers know how to make a resume grammatical, logical, concise, and interesting, as well as accurate. Visit the Robin’s Resumes® website for examples of readable civilian and federal resumes. Then contact me to help you with your resume.