Thermoforming Report

So what’s the big deal with punctuation?

EVERYTHING! Especially in the world of work!

As a recruiter, I receive multitudes of resumés – some good and some not so good. Punctuation is one of those ‘not so good’ mistakes.

Many people work diligently to produce a winning resumé — from formatting to spacing to bolding (don’t get me STARTED on bolding!). However, many people miss out on proofreading for punctuation. If you aren’t reviewing for punctuation, then you might be conveying all the wrong things!

So, here are some handy tips to help you with your resumé (and cover letters and emails and presentations and …).

• Use a period at the end of each sentence – especially at the end of a job description.
• Avoid exclamation marks!!!! Your resume should feel clear and objective. Save the exclamations for your achievements.
• Watch out for run-ons. For resumes specifically, stick to short one-thought sentences. Commas should only be used to separate descriptions in a list, such as “Supervised safety trainings, management discussions, and client proposals“.
• Proofread everything. Read it out loud to yourself. Ask someone else to read it over. Use online grammar, spell-check, and punctuation tools. If you make any changes, make sure you review it again!
• Don’t remember the difference between your/you’re or there/their/they’re? Avoid using these pronouns altogether.

You don’t have to be a wordsmith to understand that proper punctuation can make or break you. Without it, you could be passed up for something great!