With more than 12 million Americans currently looking for work, hospitality hiring managers and recruiters receive stacks of resumes for every position they post. As a result, they have limited time for review. In fact, a recent survey of hiring managers conducted by a large employment website found that almost 20 percent spend less than 30 seconds reading each application or resume. Forty percent spend less than one minute.
A whopping 61 percent stated that typos within a resume would result in immediate relegation to the trashcan. If you want to ensure that yours remains at the top of the stack where it belongs, careful attention to detail is essential. Consider these ten grammar tips to start.
1. Eliminate Pronouns
As a first-person pronoun, ‘I’ is unnecessary in a resume. You obviously wrote the document. It contains details pertaining to your experience. Keep things short, punchy and to the point by eliminating ‘I’ and beginning each statement with an active verb instead.
Before: I managed the front desk.
After: Managed the front desk.
2. Embrace Phrases
If you are composing a paragraph of information, you’ll want to keep your sentences complete. However, most resume experts recommend bulleted lists rather than blocks of text – in which case, you can use phrases to move things along. Just remember to start each one with an active verb.
Before: I managed the front desk, overseeing a team of eight while maintaining consistent customer service standards.
After:
- Managed front desk
- Oversaw a team of eight
- Maintained consistent customer service standards
3. Keep Punctuation Simple
If you keep your sentences and phrases simple, simple punctuation will follow naturally. Don’t use ellipses. While you’re at it, avoid exclamation points. And don’t use a colon or semicolon unless you are certain you are using it correctly. Better yet, don’t use them at all.
Before: Reduced customer complaints by 60 percent by creating a client feedback program to monitor overall satisfaction… and as noted by the accounting department, sales increased by 30 percent!
After:
- Created a client feedback program to monitor overall satisfaction.
- Reduced customer complaints by 60 percent and increased sales by 30 percent.
4. Maintain Active Voice
Active voice portrays confidence and strength while passive voice is cumbersome and indirect. Use active voice in your resume whenever possible. The grammar check feature in Word is very useful in identifying and correcting passive voice.
Before: A client feedback program was organized by me.
After: Organized a client feedback program.
5. Watch Your Tenses
When writing about a job you still hold, use the present tense. When writing about a previous job, use the past tense. Never switch back and forth between tenses within the same job description.
Before:
- Managing front desk
- Created a client feedback program
After:
- Managed front desk
- Created a client feedback program
6. Avoid Abbreviations and Acronyms
A resume is a formal document, so avoid abbreviations and acronyms in general. The only exceptions are when including industry jargon and well-known acronyms within your field.
Before: Communicated with clients using the net.
After: Communicated with clients using the Internet.
7. Don’t Abuse the Thesaurus
If you do not typically use ‘big’ words, don’t stuff your resume with them. Whenever possible, write as you speak. However, finding different ways to say the same thing several times will keep your writing fresh. This means you should use the thesaurus to identify a variety of strong active verbs rather than utilizing the same one repeatedly.
Before:
- Created a client feedback program
- Created a peer review process
After:
- Created a client feedback program
- Developed a peer review process
8. Put Apostrophes in Their Place
The most common grammar mistakes include the improper use of contractions and possessive pronouns, usually because you’ve used an apostrophe inappropriately.
Before: I ensured the front desk met its target goal
After: I ensured the front desk met its target goal
9. Capitalize Correctly
Capitalization issues are also common within resumes. In general, you should only capitalize proper nouns, including your company name and department name. You should not capitalize on your job position or duties.
Before: Accounting Student Intern, Hilton Resort and Casino
After: Accounting student intern, Hilton Resort and Casino
10. Don’t Rely on Spell-Check
The spellcheck feature in the word does not catch every typo and grammatical error. For example, homophones are words that sound alike but have different meanings. If you’ve spelled them correctly, they’ll go unnoticed without good, solid proofreading by human eyes.
Before: Delivered room service orders to two hotel guests
After: Delivered room service orders to hotel guests
When you avoid grammatical errors, typos, and extraneous words, you make it easier for hospitality hiring managers and recruiters to glean important details when scanning your resume. As a result, you significantly improve your chances of landing an interview in today’s highly competitive job market.