Commonly Misused and Misspelled Words in Resumes

Language skills are essential assets on any resume, often serving as a key differentiator between landing an interview and being overlooked. Highlighting your linguistic abilities can significantly enhance your chances of catching a hiring manager’s attention.

To assist job seekers in enhancing the language and grammar of their resumes, we’ve examined Indeed’s CV database. Our analysis highlights the most commonly used words in resumes over the past six months across both the UK and US.

In addition, we examined Google Search volumes to identify the words that job seekers struggle to spell the most. This insight will help you recognize and avoid the common spelling mistakes.

The top 20 words most frequently used by job hunters on their CVs 

Here are the top 20 words that job seekers in the UK and the US frequently use to describe themselves on their resumes.

Our research reveals that "skilled" has emerged as the most frequently used term on CVs in the UK, appearing on an impressive 2.18 million resumes over the past six months. Meanwhile, in the US, "responsible" claims the top position, found on more than 5.3 million resumes during the same period.

In both the UK and the US, job seekers are eager to highlight their personable qualities, as evidenced by the frequent appearance of terms like "social" and "friendly" within the top 20 most commonly overused words in resumes.

While it may not make the top 20 list, an impressive 20,000 job seekers in the UK have highlighted their "good sense of humor" on their CVs in the past six months, a stark contrast to just 4,000 in the US. This suggests that UK candidates are more inclined to showcase their personality traits in their job applications.

Other popular buzzwords that describe achievements and responsibilities in the last six months include:

The top 15 most commonly misspelled words in CVs

Our research has identified the 15 most commonly misspelled words by job seekers on their CVs, particularly when highlighting their skills, achievements, and responsibilities.

Our research reveals that the term "experienced" poses significant challenges for job seekers crafting their CVs in English. Each month, over 2,400 individuals globally turn to Google to find the correct spelling of this word.

The words "successful," "counselled," and "succeeded" pose a challenge for many candidates, primarily because of their double letters and consecutive pairs. Interestingly, these terms attract around 1,000 searches each month, highlighting their common usage and the need for clarity in spelling.

American and British English feature variations in spelling that can confuse many, particularly with words like "behaviour" and "judgement." Each of these terms generates over 1,300 monthly searches from individuals seeking clarification on their correct spelling.

Outside of the top ten, "curriculum vitae" also proved difficult for candidates, with over 600 searches each month. 

6 top tips for improving the language on your CV

To make your job application shine, we've compiled six essential tips to enhance the language in your resume.

Start your sentences with action verbs 

Begin your sentences with the key information to grab attention immediately, using an engaging verb to introduce it. This approach ensures that your main point stands out right away, making your writing more impactful and easier to digest.

For example, “answered customer complaints” might become “managed customer complaints”.

Omit personal pronouns

Eliminate the use of "I" and "we" in your resume, as their presence is already understood. This approach not only streamlines your document by making it more concise and factual but also helps to prevent unnecessary repetition.

For example, “I lectured every week to a cohort” might become “Lectured weekly to a 30-strong student cohort”.

Use the language of the job description

Tailor your resume for each job application by including relevant keywords and phrases from the job listing. This strategy not only enhances your chances of standing out but also demonstrates your alignment with the role, making you a more attractive candidate.

Give specific evidence of your skills and achievements 

To back up your claims, give clear, specific, and relevant evidence. Where possible, try to quantify achievements. 

For example, change “Developed a large Twitter presence” to "Grew Twitter account by 3k followers in Q2”.

Avoid unnecessary adjectives

Keep it simple and try not to use unnecessary adjectives or adverbs. 

For example, 'skillfully negotiated contracts” would become “negotiated contracts”.

Thoroughly check for spelling and grammar errors

Formatting and grammatical mistakes can significantly impact your chances of success. To enhance your resume, be sure to review it at least twice. If you can, have a friend or colleague take a look as well before you submit it. Their fresh perspective could catch errors you might have missed!

For additional support, explore our complimentary video course on job applications in English. You can also schedule a session with one of our skilled online English tutors to boost your interview skills. Don't forget to check out the business English courses and corporate training programs offered by LingualNeeds!

Methodology

In an effort to uncover the most frequently used terms on CVs, LingualNeeds compiled an extensive seed list of over 150 words and phrases commonly utilized by job seekers to articulate their skills, accomplishments, and responsibilities. By tapping into Indeed's CV library for both the UK and the US, they analyzed the prevalence of each term in CVs submitted over the past six months.

To uncover the most frequently misspelled words, LingualNeeds delved into monthly Google Search volumes, exploring which popular terms people globally sought help with regarding their spelling.

The data was collected in August 2022.