Simple spelling errors can be the difference between getting a job and losing it!

So you’ve found a job that you really want to apply for. You know you’ll be perfect for it and you’ve spent all day putting together a CV and cover letter. But before you press ‘send’, STOP!  A few extra minutes of your time invested to check for mistakes can make the difference between getting a job interview and having your CV put straight on the ‘no’ pile

As Recruitment Consultants, we receive daily a large amount of CV’s containing spelling or grammatical errors. Below are a few pointers that you should consider when putting together your own CV:-

• Writing sentences with different verb tenses, or no verb at all, using nouns and verbs which don’t agree, leaving out apostrophes, or putting them in when they are not needed, punctuating quotes incorrectly, forgetting commas or using too many: all of these are common failings in people’s writing. Spelling tends to be less of a problem, thanks to spellcheckers. But how would the average office worker fare if those were taken away?
• It may seem obvious but make sure that you have spelt the name of the person you’re sending the application to correctly – on the email and on your cover letter… and that you have their title correct. Mr Smith doesn’t want to be called Mr Jones, after all. Then, just to be on the safe side, double-check the company and product names that your spellchecker wouldn’t have caught.
• Always use your spell check!!!!
• If you’re sending out lots of applications at once double and triple check that the right CV is going to the right job. Every CV should be different – slightly tweaked to make sure it fits each job advert. If you send the wrong CV to the wrong job then you can really harm your chances.
• Attach your attachments! It does not look good if two minutes after you press send you email them again with a bashful ‘and this time with attachments’. This is especially true if you’ve listed attention to detail as one of your attributes.
• Make sure the format of your CV is easy to open for all computers – or at least most of them. There are so many different versions of Word now that some machines can’t access the files attached – it’s best to save your CV as a standard .doc file that any computer can open. Also, be careful with too much formatting, keep it uniformed and keep it simple.
• Your CV should have your name, in bold and clearly laid out, at the top of the document. Photographs on CV’s are not necessary as you want the employer to be interested in your skills and experience and not the way that you look.
• Make sure the email you’re sending the application from isn’t a jovial personal email address. [email protected] isn’t likely to be taken seriously. This is also true of the email address you have added to your CV as a point of contact. Think about it!
• Spell check again! But remember that spell checkers aren’t infallible. Go through it yourself and look for grammatical errors; if you’re not confident in editing your own work then get a friend or family member to go over it for you.

Louise Rice Cert RP

Branch Manager

Wilmslow Branch