ADVERTISEMENT

9 résumé mistakes that make you look less qualified, less impressive, and less intelligent than you really are

Résumés with typos and spelling mistakes are often the first to get rejected. Get these common errors off your résumé.

Any hiring manager will tell you that when it comes to your résumé, proper spelling is critical to making a good impression.

ADVERTISEMENT

The average job recruiter spend less than 10 seconds reviewing an individual résumé, and résumés with typos and spelling mistakes are often the first to land in the reject pile.

Business Insider spoke to two résumé coaches — Dana Leavy-Detrick of Brooklyn Resume Studio and Jared Redick of the San Francisco-based Résumé Studio — who shared the most common spelling mistakes they've encountered over the years.

They stand out as a flaw in your overall presentation, and lack professionalism."

ADVERTISEMENT

Here are nine common spelling mistakes you should delete from your résumé immediately:

'Led' vs. 'lead'

Confusing "led" with "lead" is by far the most common spelling mistake people make on their résumés, said Jared Redick, a career coach and résumé writer with the San Francisco-based Resume Studio.

It's easy to see where the confusion comes from. "Led" is the past tense of the verb "lead," pronounced "leed." But when used as a noun, "lead" — the stuff you find in batteries and ammunition — is pronounced identically to "led."

Redick said he's seen the mistake pop up in the résumés of top executives at Fortune 50 companies, proving no one is immune from bad spelling.

ADVERTISEMENT

'Manager' vs. 'manger'

Here's one that spell-check won't catch: Hastily typing "manger" instead of "manager."

It's a highly common mistake because of the frequency of the word on a typical résumé, Dana Leavy-Detrick, a résumé coach with Brooklyn Resume Studio, told Business Insider.

Of course, "manger" is a perfectly valid word to put on your résumé, so long as your job experience includes work at a horse stable.

'Definitely'

ADVERTISEMENT

Way too many people flub the spelling of "definitely" on their résumés, incorrectly spelling it "definately," Redick told Business Insider.

'Implement'

For some reason, a lot of Leavy-Detrick's clients have trouble getting their i's and e's straight, she told Business Insider. "Implement" is the proper spelling, not "impliment."

'Judgment'

Another common mistake résume-writers make is adding an extra e to judgment, spelling it "judgement," Redick said.

ADVERTISEMENT

While the spelling technically isn't incorrect, the "judgement" is almost exclusively used in British English.

'Identify' vs. 'identity'

Leavy-Detrick says she catches some job-hunters saying "identity" on their résumés when they mean "identify."

Even a thorough review might not prevent this error from making it into a final draft — the shape of the letters f and t are so similar that it's easy for our eyes to gloss right over them.

'Affect' vs. 'effect'

ADVERTISEMENT

How to distinguish "affect" from "effect" can be difficult even for highly educated English speakers, and the usage error pops up time and time again on résumés, Leavy-Detrick told Business Insider.

Simply put, "affect" is almost always used as a verb, as in, "The weather affected my plans." Meanwhile, "effect" is generally used as a noun, as in, "The diet pills did not have an effect."

Not surprisngly, the two words are among the most looked-up words in the dictionary.

'Ensure' vs. 'insure'

Another pair of words people have trouble distinguishing between is "ensure" and "insure," Leavy-Detrick said.

ADVERTISEMENT

To "ensure" something is to make sure that something is the case.

To "insure" is to provide or obtain insurance.

'Complement' vs. 'compliment'

Here's another case of homophones doing us in. "Complement" and "compliment" are pronounced identically, but mean totally different things.

"Complement," when used as a verb," means to complete or enhance something by adding something else. A "compliment," on the other hand, is a nice remark.

FOLLOW BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Recommended articles

Trends in online casino gaming in New Zealand

Trends in online casino gaming in New Zealand

10 African countries with the highest number of migrants

10 African countries with the highest number of migrants

PHOTOS: Inside the hostel in Rwanda set to house migrants from the UK in July

PHOTOS: Inside the hostel in Rwanda set to house migrants from the UK in July

10 African countries with the weakest governments

10 African countries with the weakest governments

Zap unveils Africa's first non-custodial exchange

Zap unveils Africa's first non-custodial exchange

The future of healthcare on display: Day 1 of Medlab West Africa wraps up

The future of healthcare on display: Day 1 of Medlab West Africa wraps up

Nigeria suspends a Chinese business over discrimination charges

Nigeria suspends a Chinese business over discrimination charges

10 African countries with the greatest soft power influence over the world in 2024

10 African countries with the greatest soft power influence over the world in 2024

List of the smartest African Cities in 2024

List of the smartest African Cities in 2024

ADVERTISEMENT