Do spelling mistakes on resumes hurt you? Absolutely! Think spell check has made spelling mistakes a thing of the past? Check out these funny mistakes every automatic spell checker will miss.

A survey conducted by Accountemps reports that 76% of executives interviewed said that just one or two typing errors in a resume would remove applicants from consideration for a job; 40% said it only takes one typing error to rule candidates out.

Another survey conducted by published by OfficeNeedle also stated that 75% of employers recognize bad grammar and spelling mistakes as a reason to reject the application.

With today’s spell checking technology, you are probably wondering if these errors even still occur.  Speaking as someone who reviews resumes daily, I can say absolutely they still occur!  In fact, not a day goes by when I don’t receive a resume with a spelling mistake on it, and some of these are from Vice Presidents!  Obviously, relying on just your spell checker is not enough.

The problem is when a word is spelled correctly, but it is the wrong word to use in the first place.  For example, “fore and four”, “two and too” and “your and you’re” are not interchangeable.  Spell checkers however will not catch these types of errors so you must find them the old fashioned way with proof reading.

Funny Spelling Mistakes on Resumes

Some other real life resume spelling mistake examples from Resumania are listed below.  Although you may find these are humourous, making similar mistakes could cost you your future. (As a side note: For my friends south of the border who think I spelled “humourous” wrong, that is actually how we spell it in Canada.)

• “Hope to hear from you, shorty.”
• “Have a keen eye for derail.”
• “Dear Sir or Madman.”
• “I’m attacking my resume for you to review.”
• “I am a rabid typist.”
• “My work ethics are impeachable.”
• “Nervous of steel.”
• “Following is a grief overview of my skills.”
• “GPA: 34.0”
• “Graphic designer seeking no-profit career.”

To avoid these mistakes, you must manually proof read your resume.  Have someone else also proof read it as well.  Print it, and then read it aloud.  Just when you think you are ready to submit it, take a break and then come back and read it again.  Not only are some of these mistakes easy to make, and they are easy to miss when you have read the same thing over and over. 

For free job search tools and templates, including How to Write a B2B Sales resume, check out the B2B Sales Connections Free Download Centre.

Remember, some executives will not give you a second chance so put your best foot forward and proof read.  It is time well invested. 

Aim Higher!

Susan A. Enns, B2B Sales Coach and Author
Schedule a free sales coaching strategy session with Susan here.

“… what I can tell anyone, is simply this – If you want to learn and understand sales, talk to Susan.”

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