Sixty-three percent of employers cite spelling and grammar mistakes as biggest CV turn off.

A new survey from online recruitment website www.staffbay.com has found 63 percent of employers identify spelling and grammatical errors to be the most common mistake to find on a CV. The survey found that despite widespread awareness that deficient spelling is simply unacceptable within a CV; the majority of employers surveyed regularly encountered considerable errors.

The poll asked 1000 employers what the most common CV mistake to see was, revealed in addition to poor English, 25 percent of employers feel that a CV’s second biggest mistake is including too much information rather than an applicant’s failing to tailor a CV application or not selling themselves enough which was previously at the top of the list. Employers surveyed listed examples of where applicants had failed to accurately structure sentences and use traditional English grammar.

Most common errors were where applicants struggled with the use of: you’re and your; it’s and its; have and of; accept and except; yourself and you. Tony Wilmot, founder of staffbay.com said “A few years ago, an applicant’s biggest down-fall was not tailoring their CV to the specific role that they were applying for. Now, applicants are aware of the necessities of personalising their entry and have completely sidelined the importance of the English language. To employers this looks lazy and careless, which is the exact opposite of what you look for in a future employee.”