November 2, 2020
When it comes to creating and submitting a professional resume, nothing is more important than proofreading. Even the smallest grammatical error or spelling mistake could be enough to disqualify you from a certain position, or at the very least, cause a potential employer to think twice about scheduling an interview.
At best, resume spelling and grammar mistakes are distracting little blunders, but at worst, these errors can be painfully embarrassing.
Here are ten examples of individuals who should have given their resumes a second look before submitting them.
- Caring for vegetables? A resume submitted to Resume Hell stated that the candidate participated in “2001 summer Voluntary work for taking care of the elderly and vegetable people.”
- Not so attentive. An applicant embarrassingly repeated themselves in a resume featured on Resume Bloopers, stating their skills included “Strong Work Ethic, Attention to Detail, Team Player, Self Motivated, Attention to Detail.”
- A little too honest. Career Talk Pro shared an example of a resume in which the applicant described a previous role as including “typing in details of accounts, customer liaison and money-laundering duties.”
- Party on. We all want a job we love, but describing yourself as “Seeking a party-time position with potential for advancement” might not be the way to go. (Featured on ResumePower.com’s Ten Classic Resume Bloopers)
- Double take. Watch out for those repeating words and don’t make the mistake that one candidate featured on Career Talk Pro did when stating “i am a prefectionist and rarely if if ever forget details.”
- Hope it’s not contagious. One candidate featured on HumorMatters.com boasted that they “received a plague for Salesperson of the Year.”
- A bummer of a mistake. ResumePower.com included an example of one applicant who claimed they “directed $25 million anal shipping and receiving operations.”
- Foaming at the mouth. Whatever you do, don’t describe yourself as “an accurate and rabid typist,” as one applicant featured on Career Talk Pro unfortunately did.
- One letter can make all the difference. Another example from HumorMatters.com included a candidate’s explanation that they were “Instrumental in ruining entire operation for a Midwest chain store.”
- Impressive furniture. Resume Hell featured one resume in which the applicant stated they were “working today in a furniture factory as a drawer.”
Hopefully these unfortunate mistakes serve as a reminder to always read through your resume carefully before submitting!
