Catching small mistakes in your resume can be the difference between getting a callback and getting ignored.
The problem is, after staring at your resume for hours, your brain starts to fill in the gaps. You don’t see the typos, awkward phrasing, or formatting issues anymore.
That’s where most people slip. A tiny spelling error or inconsistent spacing can make your resume look rushed and unprofessional. And hiring managers notice those things quickly.
The good news?
With the right resume proofreading tips, you can clean up your resume fast and make every detail look intentional. Let's walk through the key checks that actually make a difference.
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10 Resume Proofreading Tips You Can’t Afford to Skip
Proofreading isn't just about fixing typos. It's about making sure every word on your resume works in your favor.
These 10 tips will help you catch errors that spell-checkers miss and polish your resume until it's interview-ready.
#1. Step Away Before You Edit
Your brain fills in gaps when you've been staring at the same document for hours. After finishing your resume, take a break for at least a few hours or – better yet – overnight.
This break helps you return with fresh eyes and spot mistakes you'd otherwise miss. You'll notice awkward phrasing, repetitive words, and formatting inconsistencies that were invisible before.
However, if you're on a tight deadline, even a 15-minute break helps. Go for a walk, grab a coffee, or work on something else. When you come back, it’ll be easier to see your resume like a recruiter would.
#2. Read It Out Loud (Yes, Really)
Silent reading lets your brain autocorrect errors. On the other hand, reading aloud forces you to hear every word, making mistakes obvious.
You'll catch run-on sentences, missing words, and awkward phrasing that looked fine on screen. If something sounds weird when you say it, it'll read weird to a hiring manager, too.
This trick is especially useful for your resume summary and bullet points. If you stumble over a sentence or run out of breath, it's probably too long or poorly structured. That being said, make sure to always read your entire resume aloud at least once before submitting.
#3. Print It Out or Switch Devices to Spot Hidden Errors
Your eyes get used to seeing the same document on the same screen. After staring at your resume on your laptop for hours, your brain stops registering small errors and formatting issues.
Printing it out might help you here; mistakes that were invisible on screen can be more visible on paper. You'll notice uneven margins, misaligned bullets, different fonts, and sections that look cramped or awkwardly spaced.
And if you can't print it, email your resume to yourself and open it on your phone or tablet. A different screen forces you to view your content differently, making it easier to spot typos or formatting mistakes you might have missed before.
#4. Check Every Bullet Like It’s a Headline
Bullet points are among the first things hiring managers scan, and that’s why each one needs to be error-free and impactful.
Start by checking that every bullet point follows the same grammatical structure. For example, if the first bullet starts with "Managed," the rest should also start with action verbs, not "Responsible for" or "Duties included."
Next, verify that every bullet point adds value. Remove vague statements like "Assisted with various tasks" and replace them with specific achievements. Finally, make sure to trim any bullet points that go beyond two lines.
Here's what a properly structured work experience section looks like:
Work experience example:
Marketing ManagerTech Solutions Inc. | San Francisco, CA June 2021 - Present- Managed a team of 5 digital marketers to execute campaigns that increased web traffic by 40%.
- Developed content strategy that boosted engagement rates from 2.3% to 5.1% across all social platforms.
- Launched email automation sequences that generated $250K in additional revenue within 6 months.
- Coordinated with the sales team to align marketing materials with customer pain points and improve conversion rates by 28%.
#5. Audit Numbers, Dates, and Titles
One incorrect digit can cost you an interview. Carefully check every number (especially your phone number!), date, and job title on your resume for accuracy; taking a moment here builds confidence in your application.
Verify employment dates match your LinkedIn profile and ensure your work experiences don't overlap.
Additionally, check whether the percentages add up and whether the metrics make sense. If you increased sales by 150%, ensure the figure is accurate.
Don’t exaggerate your job title. If you “upsell” it, you may get asked technical or managerial questions in an interview that you can’t credibly answer. It’s better to keep titles honest and aligned to common market wording so both recruiters and ATS systems understand your role. Finally, double-check spelling and capitalization for past company names – especially if they’re not household names.
#6. Run Tools, But Don’t Trust Them Blindly
Grammarly and other online spell-checkers catch obvious mistakes but miss context errors. They're helpful starting points, not ultimate solutions.
So, run your resume through multiple spell-checkers first, then proofread manually. Pay special attention to the words the tool flagged but you dismissed. Sometimes those suggestions are right, even if they seem wrong at first glance.
#7. Get a Second Set of Eyes
It’s easy to trick your brain into not seeing the mistakes in your writing when you already know what you wanted to say. But a second pair of eyes will definitely spot errors you've read past the 20th time.
Ask a friend, family member, or former colleague to review your resume. They don't need to be career experts. Fresh eyes catch typos and confusing sentences that you can't see.
If you're making a career change, get feedback from someone in your target industry. They'll tell you if your resume speaks their language or if you're using outdated terminology. Professional resume reviewers can help, too, but if you don’t have the budget, even a trusted friend can make a huge difference.
#8. Scan for Homophones and Tricky Words
Spell-check misses the most embarrassing mistakes, such as mixing “they’re” and “their”. Such errors will definitely make you look unprofessional.
The solution is simple but requires manual effort. Create a list of words you commonly mix up, then use the "Find" function to search for each one in your resume and verify you used it correctly.
Here are some of the most common mistakes people make:
Common word mix-ups:
- their/there/they're
- its/it's
- your/you're
- then/than
- affect/effect
- complement/compliment
- principal/principle
- lead (verb) / lead (metal)
- liaison (not "liason")
- occurred (not "occured")
- separate (not "seperate")
#9. Enforce Tense and Verb Consistency
Switching between past and present tense confuses recruiters and comes across as unprofessional.
To avoid this, go through each job description and verify tense consistency. If you're describing your current role, use the present tense: "Managing a team of five designers." On the other hand, use the past tense for past positions: "Managed a team of five designers."
Ensure that all bullet points under a job entry use the same tense. Don't mix "Coordinated projects" with "Managing stakeholder relationships" under the same position. This applies to your skills section, too. Be consistent with how you describe proficiency levels and experiences.
#10. Remove Redundancies and Overused Keywords
It’s important to incorporate the keywords in your resume, but repeating the same words too many times makes it boring and wastes space. Make sure to cut redundancies and diversify your language.
Search for words like "responsible," "various," "multiple," and "helped"; these add no value or are likely repeated more than once. Replace them with specific action verbs that show what you actually did. For example, instead of writing “responsible for client onboarding,” write “onboarded 40+ clients end-to-end and cut time-to-activation by 25%.”
Additionally, look for phrases you've used multiple times. If three bullets start with "Managed," change two of them to "Oversaw," "Directed," or "Coordinated."
Don't use "team player" or "hard worker" at all, unless you can back them up. These are meaningless resume buzzwords that every candidate claims. Instead, show these qualities through your achievements.
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Pro Tip
So, what should a resume actually look like? Check out our article and learn how to create a job-winning resume!
Why Should You Proofread Your Resume?
Most candidates skip thorough proofreading and pay the price with instant rejections. Your resume represents you before you even speak to a recruiter, and errors sabotage your chances before you get a chance to explain your qualifications.
Here’s why proofreading is far more important than you might think:
- First impressions are irreversible. A single typo signals carelessness to hiring managers. They'll assume that if you can't proofread one page, you won't pay attention to details on the job either.
- Applicant tracking systems (ATS) prefer clean text. Typos can break keyword matching in ATS software, leading to your resume being rejected before a human even sees it.
- Proofreading protects your professional image. Precision reflects reliability. When your resume is polished and error-free, it shows you take your career seriously and respect the recruiter's time.
- You control your narrative. Clean writing makes your achievements believable. Sloppy grammar and typos make recruiters question whether your accomplishments are exaggerated, too.
- It saves time later. A polished resume reduces the number of revision cycles during job hunts. Get it right once, and you won't scramble to fix errors every time you apply somewhere new.
Key Takeaways
And that's everything you need to know about proofreading your resume like a pro!
Now, take these tips and put them into action to perfect your resume and land your next job opportunity:
- Read your resume out loud. This forces you to process every word and catches awkward phrasing, missing words, and run-on sentences that look fine when you read silently.
- Treat every bullet point like a headline. Check for grammatical consistency, remove vague statements, and make sure each bullet adds specific value in two lines or less.
- Verify all numbers, dates, and titles. One wrong digit or a title mismatch can raise red flags with recruiters and lead to instant rejection.
- Use spell-check as a starting point, not the finish line. Tools like Grammarly miss context errors, so always proofread manually after running automated checks.
- Get someone else to review it. You're too close to your own writing to catch everything, so ask a friend or colleague to give your resume a fresh look.
- Keep verb tenses consistent. Use the present tense for current jobs and the past tense for previous positions, and make sure all bullets under each job follow the same pattern.
- Cut redundant words and overused keywords. Replace filler words like "responsible for" with specific action verbs, and vary your language instead of starting every bullet with the same word.
