[See also: The Biggest Mistakes in a Resume.]
One of those common errors is sending in a resume that contains typos, grammatical gaffes, or spelling mistakes. These can give the impression that you either don't care enough about the job to take the time to proofread your application or that you lack some skill in the spelling and grammar department. Both scenarios could spoil your chances of getting hired.
Too often, candidates assume that if they've read over their document and have spell check activated to highlight any issues, then the resume must be ready to submit. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. When you proofread something that you have written, you know what you meant to say. Your brain can deceive you so that you actually see what you intended to type appearing on the page – even if, in reality, you have hit the wrong key or typed a deceptively similar word.
In the latter case, similar words that have slightly different spelling and meanings trip up many people in their writing because they often can slip past spell-checking software undetected.
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at some of the most common spelling and grammatical errors to appear in resumes. Since many of these won't be picked up by spell check, keep a sharp eye out for them when you give your next job application a critical read.
Here's what to watch for when proofreading your resume:
- Frequently misspelled words
Commonly confused words
People often get tripped up on words that sound close or the same but are spelled differently. This can become particularly troublesome in a resume because we frequently use language to describe our past work and accomplishments outside of our everyday vocabulary.
Here are a few of the common words with different meaning that are regularly mixed up in resumes:
A recent study found that using 'lead' as the past tense of the verb 'to lead' is actually the most commonly misused word in professional resumes. In the sentence "Over the past two years, I have lead the team to great success," the word 'lead' would be pronounced correctly, but it refers to the mineral with that spelling. The past tense of the verb to lead is, of course, 'led.' "Over the past year, I led the team to great success."
Grammatical gaffes
Bad grammar can make sticklers cringe, and having it turn up in your resume can give potential employers a negative impression of your language skills. It may even make them assume that you are less intelligent than you really are. That is something to avoid when you are trying to convince someone to offer you an opportunity.
Here are some of the more common grammatical mistakes that people make in their writing.
To, two, and too – When the current filing system was to outdated to maintain, I created a new modern database and backed up the archive to.
Similarly, there, their, and they’re often catch people unawares when they are typing quickly. We often think our sentences phonetically before writing them down, and words that sound the same will match the composition in your head. However, on paper, the mistake will be clear. Produced there most successful campaign to date while I worked their.
The same is true for the often mistaken your and you’re. The first one means belonging to you and the second one is a contraction for you are.
What’s even more common than your/you're is the misused forms of its and it's. This is understandable because typically, we add an apostrophe 's' to the owner when we want to imply possession of something. It is Peter's. That is Canada's flag.
However, when the dog has lost its collar, there is no apostrophe. The word 'it' with an apostrophe 's' becomes the contraction for 'it is.' When your resume claims to deliver your department it's best quarter in the company's history, your accomplishment is diminished by the bad grammar used to describe it.
Frequently misspelled words
Some words are just tricky to spell. Fortunately, a decent spell check software should catch most of these, but if you are working without one, or making last-minute changes or additions to your resume, be sure to watch out for the most commonly misspelled words.
Here are some repeat blunders appearing in candidate resumes:
- Acquire (spelled: acquire)
- Business (spelled: buisness)
- Calendar (spelled: calender)
- Definite (spelled: definite)
- Definitely (spelled: definately)
- Definitely (spelled: definitly)
- Independent (spelled: independant)
- Maintenance (spelled: maintainance)
- Necessary (spelled: neccessary)
- Occasion (spelled: occassion)
Other common pitfalls to beware of
You know what else spell check won't catch but can sink your chances of landing the job? A typo in your email address or phone number. I've seen this happen on more than one occasion. Candidates who submit resumes with a digit missing from their phone numbers or an email address that bounces back as undeliverable. If an employer can't get in touch with you, nothing else about your resume really matters. Be sure to proofread your contact information carefully.
Similarly, misspelling the company name you are applying to or the names of your previous employers can still count as careless errors in your resume. Capitalization also matters. You worked for Microsoft, not MicroSoft, Yahoo! not yahoo, the City of Montreal, not the city of Montreal.
Some of these might seem like small details, but when you are competing for a job, small details can make or break your chances. You want to give employers the impression that you are a motivated professional who can produce quality work for them. Sending in a resume that contains careless mistakes and easily fixable errors creates the opposite impression.
