Resume Help Blog

I was reading a recent article on Reuters news site that said the following:  “Single spelling mistake can derail job application.”  Wow! That sucks!

The article went on to say that a recent survey revealed that 1/5th of Canadian employers stated they would not interview someone if they had just ONE spelling error on their resume! That percentage probably grows if the overall writing quality is poor.  The survey was conducted by AccountTemps.

So what’s the point of this post? The point is that there is no shame in admitting that you are a bad speller, or that you have trouble writing a decent sentence. It’s better to swallow your pride and ask for help than it is to lose opportunity after opportunity because your resume gives off the impression that you are sloppy or don’t pay attention to details. 

There’s a couple of things you can do to double-check your resume and make sure that it doesn’t have spelling or sentence errors. 

The cheapest one is to find a friend that you know is a good writer, or has an eye for detail, and ask them to honestly read through your resume and locate spelling or sentence errors.  And while this sounds easiest, and the least expensive, it also entails a little bit of humility.

Don’t be so personally invested in exactly how a resume is written. If your friend thinks a sentence would read better, don’t get defensive. Listen to what they recommend and make the change if the sentence honestly sounds stronger. Nobody wants to help you if their opinions are met with abrasiveness or argument. And pride can lose you that job opportunity!

Bottom line. Swallow that pride and make sure your resume is the best it can be! No typo’s and no bad grammar! You’ll be glad that you did when you trot off to work while many other people are still job hunting.