Initiative is the most commonly misspelt word on a CV, according to a new study.
The CV research, conducted by Resume.io, found that initiative was misspelt in 32 per cent of the CVs analysed. The research found that applicants struggle with the number of ‘I’s in the word and opt for variations lik ‘inchitive’ and ‘intatitve’ instead.
Ironically, the word ‘perfectionist’ was spelt wrong in a quarter of the CVs considered. Alternative spellings like ‘perfactionist’ and ‘perfectonist’ were among the most commonly noted.
Also on the list of most commonly misspelt words were detail-orientated; management; professional; implemented; corresponding; achieved; accurate; and succeeded.
Resume.io analysed 2,000 CVs to determine the results and surveyed 1,248 people to get more information on CV mistakes.
The survey also revealed that 41 per cent of respondents had guessed how to spell words on their CV and 23 per of Brits think their CV was to blame for not landing the job.
73 per cent of hiring managers said that multiple spelling mistakes would make them less likely to hire or even offer an interview to an applicant.
Speaking about the survey, Menno Olsthoorn, a spokesperson for Resume.io, said, “Quite a few people even misspelled the name of their employer – for example, MacDonald’s instead of McDonald’s.”
“Curriculum vitae was also misspelled regularly, while profesional or proffessional and acurate are two words that you really want to spell correctly.”
Expert tips for writing your CV
- Read through your CV thoroughly before sending it to make sure there are no grammatical errors. A second opinion from a family member or friend might help too!
- When using spell check, ensure it is correcting your words to GB English, instead of US English.
- Try to keep it concise and structured– you don’t need fancy language to come across as a good candidate.
- Use online tools, such as Grammarly, which will spot your mistakes faster than you can!
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