NOVEMBER 2009 NEWSLETTER

Engineers and Technical Professionals


As a division, we get the opportunity to see dozens of resumes from professionals in all areas of the industry every week. While there are differing views on formatting and font of resumes, as well as whether to have a short one page or an encompassing resume that highlights all your skills, one thing is clear: There is no disagreement when it comes to spelling and grammar errors. No matter how great your skills may match what a company is looking for, you won't get so much as a second glance if you have a resume with errors. Just how worthwhile is it for you to give your resume an extra read-through before sending it out? It could make all the difference between getting an interview or ending up in the rejection pile. When Accountemps polled 150 senior executives at the 1,000 largest companies, they found that 76% wouldn't consider a candidate who had 1-2 typos on their resume. Of that group, 40% wouldn't look at candidates with just 1 typo!

Unfortunately, you can't always rely on spell check. Many times perfectly spelled words that still constitute typos appear on real resumes. Here are some sentences and phrases that passed the test:

  • Fluent in both English and Spinach
  • I am a rabid typist
  • Quick leaner
  • Referees available upon request
  • Have a keen eye for derail
  • Dear Sir or Madman
  • I'm attacking my resume for you to review
  • My work ethics are impeachable
  • Nervous of steel
  • Following is a grief overview of my skills
  • GPA: 34.0
  • Hope to hear from you, shorty

There are several ways, besides spell check, to make sure your resume doesn't end up in a company's "Hall of Fame". It is recommended that you:

  • Get help from family and friends. Enlist help from them to proofread your resume and provide honest feedback.
  • Take a "timeout" before submitting your resume anywhere. Take a break and come back to it so that you have a fresh perspective. This will help you locate something you missed the first time around.
  • Examine a printed copy. It's very easy to miss typos or errors when you read your resume on a computer screen, so print it out for review.
  • Read it aloud to others. You or your audience might catch errors your eyes have overlooked.