A resume is one of the most important documents you'll write. Be careful to avoid these common errors that often sneak into resumes.

1. The Most
Common
Grammar Gaffes
That Sneak Into
Résumés
GrammarCamp.com lists the top 10 most common
grammar gaffes that sneak into résumés.

2. Résumés can be tricky. They must be detailed, but concise; assertive, but not
presumptuous. Not only must the facts be there (and be correct), but your lists and
sentences must also be error-free.
Proper spelling and grammar are almost as important—if not more so—than the
information presented in the résumé itself. This is because, although you may have
the education and qualifications for a certain position, inconsistency, a lack of
attention to detail, and an inability to handle such an important document with
care could speak volumes about your potential as an employee.

3. Here are 10 of the most common spelling and
grammar gaffes that sneak into résumés:

4. 1. Inconsistencies
Many elements of a résumé can be inconsistent,
including anything from lists to tenses, spellings, font
sizes, and styles. As with every piece of writing,
consistency throughout is crucial. Inconsistencies in your
résumé make you look sloppy and can confuse your
potential employer. To avoid this problem, take a few
extra minutes to make sure that your résumé is clear and
consistent.

5. 2. Incorrect hyphenation
This can mean a few things:
• words are supposed to be hyphenated but aren't
• words aren't supposed to be hyphenated but are
• compound adjectives are incorrectly hyphenated
• or the wrong form of punctuation (an en dash or an
em dash) is used instead of a hyphen
If you're unsure about whether a word is hyphenated or
if you need to use an en dash or an em dash, try doing a
quick Google search for the information. Better yet, sign
up for GrammarCamp.com, an innovative online
grammar training course, to help you along the way.
- = dash (hyphen)
– = en dash
— = em dash

6. 3. Forgetting to include
important information
This one seems pretty basic, but you'd
be surprised by how many people
actually forget to include important
information or details in their résumé.
Whether it's the title of a position, the
name of a degree, or a graduation
date, the details must be there. If
they're not, your potential employer
will be left hanging and confused, and
will not hesitate to discard your
résumé.

7. 4. Not spelling out acronyms upon their
first use
As a general rule, in any type of writing, all acronyms should be spelled
out upon their first use, followed by the acronym in parentheses. This
way, the person reading your résumé will know exactly what you're
talking about when you use a particular acronym.

8. 5. Writing too much—or not
enough
This one goes both ways. Some people write
too much, failing to be concise, while others
barely write enough for the reader to know
what they’re talking about. A fine balance
must be struck between being concise and
including enough information.

9. • Write as if the person reading your résumé knows
nothing about your background (because they likely
don't).
• Pay attention to detail, and make sure to include
information that is most relevant to your desired
position.
• Keep your résumé to one or two pages. If it's longer than
that, your potential employer could lose interest.

10. 6. Using sentence fragments
without having a complete
thought
A sentence fragment isn't really a sentence at all—it's a
group of words that look like a sentence but can't stand
on their own because there is no independent clause. To
be a real sentence, there must be both a subject and a
verb. If either of these are lacking, you have a sentence
fragment.

11. 7. Lack of parallel structure
This one is quite common. Parallel structure means using
the same pattern of words to show that two or more
words or ideas are of equal importance. Doing so in your
résumé will help the employer understand what you are
saying.

12. 8. Proper capitalization
This one's a no-brainer. Make sure that names, places,
schools, scholarships, certifications, and other proper
nouns are all spelled and capitalized correctly. This is
probably one of the easiest mistakes for a potential
employer to spot, but it is also the easiest to get right the
first time!

13. 9. Contextual spelling errors
A contextual spelling error is an error in which the wrong
word is used but is spelled correctly. Your spell-checker
often misses this as an error, so be extra careful in your
word choice.

14. 10. Failing to write entries in
reverse chronological order
This one is usually an easy fix: just make sure that
your most recent education and experience are
listed first. Your earliest education or experience
will be last.
• This makes it easier for potential employers to
glance at your résumé and quickly see what
degree you just earned, or where you’re
currently working.
• The most recent information is typically the
most relevant, so it should be listed first.

15. Do you want to learn more?
Do you want to learn more about the most common grammar
gaffes that sneak into résumés? Visit the editing experts at
www.scribendi.com, the leading online editing and proofreading
company.
If you want to become an English-language expert yourself,
check out GrammarCamp.com and ProofreadingCamp.com.
These online courses will help you master the English language
so that you can become a better writer!

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