Your resume is the first point of contact between you and your next potential employer. The difference between securing an interview and being overlooked may just lie in the details of how you present your qualifications. Among these details, grammar plays a pivotal role.

But how funny is this: grammatical mistakes on a resume are more common than you would think!

It has nothing to do with how many advanced degrees in nutrition or specialty certifications you have. It's not very often that you need to spell out our advanced degrees with proper punctuation (when we should be saving our patients from malnutrition instead!).

Proper grammar, punctuation, and syntax ensure that your resume not only conveys your skills and expertise as a registered dietitian but also reflects your attention to detail and professionalism.

A well-crafted resume, free from grammatical errors, sends a powerful message about your communication skills and your seriousness about the job opportunity.

The Do's of Resume Grammar

“Proper grammar is essential and should not be taken lightly. If your resume contains several errors, it indicates to the hiring manager that you lack attention to detail.” - Doreen Rodo, MEd, RDN, LD, NCRW, Nationally Certified Resume Writer

1. Use Consistent Tense

The choice of tense in your resume plays a crucial role in conveying your work history and current professional responsibilities and professional experience.

For positions you've held in the past, always use the past tense (e.g., managed, developed, increased). On the other hand, for your current job role, use the present tense (e.g., manage, develop, increase) to delineate ongoing duties and achievements.

This consistency in tense helps maintain a clear, logical flow, making it easier for hiring managers to follow your career progression.

2. Capitalize Properly

Capitalization in your resume not only follows the basic rules of English grammar but also serves to highlight specific professional titles, organizations, and key points, contributing to the document's overall clarity and readability.

Proper nouns, including the names of companies, software, languages, or certifications, should always be capitalized to signify their importance and distinguish them from the surrounding text.

Similarly, job titles are capitalized when they precede a person’s name, thereby respecting the professional status and hierarchy. Additionally, capitalizing the first word of bullet points helps maintain a uniform structure throughout your resume, making it easier for employers to scan and evaluate your qualifications.

Examples of Correct Usage:

• Proper Nouns:
  • Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Harvard University.
  • Certified in Advanced Project Management (CAPM) by the Project Management Institute.
• Job Titles When Followed by Names:
  • Reported directly to Chief Technology Officer, John Doe.
• First Word of Bullet Points:
  • Spearheaded the development of a new customer relationship management (CRM) software.
  • Negotiated contracts with over 15 new suppliers, reducing material costs by 20%.

3. Utilize Bullet Points for Clarity

Bullet points are an effective way to organize achievements and responsibilities in your resume, significantly improving its readability and impact. When you list your accomplishments and duties using bullet points, you not only make the information easier for hiring managers to scan, but you also have a great opportunity to emphasize action verbs that showcase your skills and effectiveness.

Action verbs like "orchestrated," "implemented," or "achieved" immediately grab attention and paint a vivid picture of your capabilities and contributions. Bullet points also allow for a cleaner division of information, which helps avoid dense paragraphs that might discourage readers from fully engaging with your content.

Examples of Correct Usage:

• Orchestrated a comprehensive rebranding strategy that resulted in a 40% increase in market visibility.
• Implemented a new inventory management system, reducing operational costs by 15%.
• Achieved top salesperson of the year award for two consecutive years due to outstanding performance and dedication.

4. Be Concise and Clear

In crafting your resume, the importance of clear and concise language cannot be overstated; hiring managers may spend less than ten seconds (!!) looking at your resume before making a decision to pass on your application (1).

Hiring managers often have limited time to review each application; thus, a resume cluttered with convoluted sentences and unnecessary jargon is likely to be passed over. Aim for simplicity and precision in your wording.

Avoid the temptation to elaborate excessively on any single point; instead, focus on providing just enough context to highlight your accomplishments without overwhelming the reader with details.

“Words like "various," "such as," "in order to," and "as well as" can disrupt the smooth flow of your sentences. Remember, the key is to 'write tight,' eliminating unnecessary words for a more concise and impactful resume.” - Doreen Rodo, MEd, RDN, LD, NCRW, Nationally Certified Resume Writer

NutritionJobs Tip: read your resume aloud to yourself. This practice can uncover areas where the language may be too complex or the sentences too lengthy, providing opportunities for simplification. Remember, the goal is to present your professional narrative in a manner that is easily accessible, facilitating a quick understanding of your potential value to the organization.

Examples of Clear and Concise Usage:

• Reduced annual spending by 10% through efficient budget management.
• Led a team of 5 in developing an award-winning mobile application.
• Increased customer satisfaction ratings by 15% via improved service protocols.

5. Use the Right Number

Do you spell out a number, or use the number? It depends.

In general, numbers 0-9 will be spelled out on a resume (one, two, three), and numbers 10 and greater will not.

Of course, there are some exceptions, which are covered in this article: How To Write Out Numbers On A Resume.

6. Use Quotations Marks Appropriately

In general, if you’re referring to a publication, it is grammatically correct to have that inside quotations (2). This includes the titles of journal publications that you’re an author on, newspaper articles that you’re quoted in and sections within a larger work, such as a text book.

Examples of Quotation Marks Used Appropriately

• Journal: “What went right? The story of US Medicare Medical Nutrition Therapy” (Journal of the American Dietetic Association)
• Podcast Episode: “Ep. 1: How to Pick a Website Platform (and the One I Recommend)” (The Growth Show with Whitney Bateson)

6. Proofread Multiple Times

Proofreading your resume multiple times is an essential step in ensuring that it is free of grammatical errors, typos, and punctuation mistakes. These small errors can significantly detract from the professionalism of your resume, potentially causing hiring managers to question your attention to detail and care for the job application process. Don’t just rely on your own review; use grammar-checking tools that can catch mistakes you might overlook.

In addition, get a second opinion from a friend, colleague, or mentor. Often, a fresh pair of eyes can spot inconsistencies, errors, or confusing phrasing that you may have become blind to after multiple readings.

This external feedback is not just about catching mistakes but also about ensuring that your resume is clear, coherent, and logically structured from an outsider's perspective.

Lastly? Look for specific errors that might be overlooked by a spell checker.

“If you work with public health or similar, do a text search for "pubic" before sending in every. single. Document. It will surprise you…” Cheryl Harris, MPH, RD, founder of Harris Whole Health

Examples of Practical Steps for Thorough Proofreading:

• Utilize tools like Grammarly or the built-in spell check in Microsoft Word to catch the most common grammar and spelling errors.
• Print out your resume and read it aloud. This can help you catch errors that you might miss when reading silently.
• Ask a trusted friend or mentor to review your resume. Their feedback can be critical in identifying areas for improvement that you might have missed.

The Don'ts of Resume Grammar

1. Avoid Using First-Person Pronouns

Using first-person pronouns such as "I," "me," and "my" in a resume is generally considered unprofessional and is advised against for several reasons. Using first-person pronouns can create an overly casual or subjective tone. On top of that, a resume is inherently about the applicant, and so the use of first-person pronouns can be redundant.

Examples of Professional Sentence Constructions without First-Person Pronouns:

• Managed a sales team that consistently exceeded quarterly targets.
• Designed an innovative marketing campaign that increased brand engagement by 30%.
• Developed a streamlined customer feedback system, enhancing product development and service delivery.

2. Don’t Skip the Apostrophe

If you’re celebrating your completed degrees, don’t forget the apostrophe (2)!

If you have a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree, the correct grammar is with the apostrophe.

3. Don't Overuse Jargon or Clichés

In the quest to impress, there's a common pitfall of overloading a resume with industry-specific jargon or leaning too heavily on clichés.

While some technical terms may be necessary, especially when they directly relate to job qualifications, excessive use can make your resume difficult for hiring managers outside your specific field to understand. Simplify language where possible and always consider if a less specialized synonym can convey the same meaning.

Similarly, avoid relying on clichés to describe your attributes or accomplishments. Phrases like "thinking outside the box" or "go-getter" are so overused that they've lost their impact and do little to differentiate you from other candidates. Instead, focus on providing concrete examples that clearly demonstrate your achievements and skills.

Examples of Replacing Clichés with Specific Achievements:

• Instead of saying "excellent team player," specify "collaborated with a team of 12 to launch a product two months ahead of schedule."
• Replace "hard worker" with "completed a year-long project in 10 months through dedicated efforts and strategic planning."
• Swap "problem solver" for "identified a recurrent shipping issue and implemented a solution that reduced errors by 25%."

4. Steer Clear of Repetition

Repetition in a resume can quickly lead the reader to lose interest, making your application feel boring and unoriginal. When the same words or phrases are used repeatedly, it not only detracts from the document's professionalism but also fails to fully showcase the breadth of your abilities and achievements. To combat this, use varied vocabulary to enhance the readability and impact of your resume.

By carefully selecting different terms that accurately reflect your experiences, you can create a resume that is both interesting to read and effectively highlights your qualifications.

Examples of Varying Language with Synonyms:

• Replace "led" with "spearheaded," "managed," or "orchestrated" to describe leadership roles.
• Instead of repeatedly saying "responsible for," use "oversaw," "coordinated," or "administered."
• Swap "assisted" with "supported," "aided," or "helped" to convey your contributions to teamwork.

5. Don't Rely Solely on Spellcheck

While spellcheck tools are incredibly useful for catching basic spelling and grammatical errors, they should not be your only method of proofreading.

One significant limitation of relying solely on spellcheck is its inability to understand context-specific nuances. Spellcheck may not recognize when a word is used incorrectly if that word is spelled correctly.

Examples of Context-Specific Errors Missed by Spellcheck:

• Correctly spelled but misused words: Using "effect" when you mean "affect."
• Company names or technical terms that are spelled correctly but misplaced within the resume.
• Correct use of homophones such as "right" and "write," where the spelling is correct but the application is wrong according to the context.

6. Avoid Complex Language or Long Sentences

Using overly complex words or long, winding sentences in your resume can quickly lose the reader's attention or, worse, confuse them. It's important to remember that clarity and conciseness are key in resume writing. By avoiding unnecessarily complicated language, you make your resume more accessible and easier to understand for a broader audience, including those who might not have a deep understanding of your field.

Keeping your language simple and your sentences short is not about dumbing down your resume; it's about enhancing its effectiveness by making it accessible and clear to all potential readers.

Simple, straightforward language ensures your achievements and experiences are communicated effectively. When you condense your achievements into clear, easily digestible points, you not only make it easier for hiring managers to see your value but also demonstrate your ability to communicate efficiently — a highly valued skill in any profession.

Examples of Simplifying Language for Clarity and Brevity:

• Instead of "Utilized innovative methodologies to engender a 15% augmentation in sales," say "Increased sales by 15% through innovative methods."
• Replace "Performed oversight functions for a team engaged in the execution of complex projects" with "Managed a team on complex projects."
• Swap "Engaged in the facilitation of interdepartmental communication to streamline operations" for "Improved operations by enhancing communication between departments."

At your discretion

The final grammar rule to note is about commas when you have a sentence that is listing several things. As you note each item, the rule is to have a comma after each item.

The only place where the comma usage is up to you is the comma after the second to last item; you can choose to include or skip that comma (4). Just be sure that you’re consistent with including or skipping this comma throughout your resume and cover letter.

Examples of correct comma usage:

• Sarah has experience with ConvertKit, Trello, and ClickUp.
• Sarah has experience with Convertkit, Trello and ClickUp.

That’s a wrap

We have to play by the rules, the grammar rules that is, to have the best impact as you’re applying for jobs. It's about presenting a document that reflects your professionalism and attention to detail.

Remember, your resume is often the first impression potential employers have of you. It serves as a testament to your communication skills and your meticulous nature. By investing time into refining your resume, and focusing on these key aspects, you significantly enhance your chances of standing out in the job search process.

A well-polished resume can be the difference between getting noticed or overlooked, so take this opportunity to showcase your best self to potential employers. Best wishes on your job search!

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