Tuesday, July 1, 2014

What is "Résumé English" and why should I use it?

You do not need to include periods at the end of resume phrases because they do not follow standard rules of English usage.

To save space for quantitative data (#, $, %) and qualitative details (first, youngest, only, best), I encourage you to use "Résumé English."



This means:
  • To conserve space, remove articles 'a', 'an', and 'the'
  • Do NOT use the subject 'I'
  • Do not use helping verbs ('is,' 'was,' 'were') 
  • Use tenses in the past, except for your present job. Example: Conducted routine inspections of on site equipment
  • Change all numbers to numerals (1, 2, 3). In essays, write numbers into words if below 10 (except $ or %). In resumes and application data forms, you can ignore this "rule" in order to save space
  • More tips on how to write numbers here 

(modified from http://esl.about.com/cs/englishworkplace/ht/ht_resume.htm; accessed 2012/07)


Need help?



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-Updated by Vince on 1 Sep 2014












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