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&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;One of the rules of resume writing is be consistent throughout. For example, if you choose to use the serial comma (a comma after the second item in a list as in &quot;this, that, and the other thing&quot;) then make sure to use it in every instance when applicable. But what you don&#39;t want to be consistent with are misspelled and misused words. Relying on your computer&#39;s spelling and grammar check is not enough. Many words can be missed that are spelled correctly but used in the wrong context or with a completely different meaning. To that end, below are the most common resume mistakes missed by spelling and grammar check.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. Accept/Except&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;To accept is to receive something. She accepted his apology. Except is a preposition that means but or with the exception of. I would use accept, except it is not the correct word.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. Affect/Effect&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;To &quot;affect&quot; is to influence or change. He affected her emotions. An &quot;effect&quot; is the result of something, as in cause and effect. Typically, affect is a verb, and effect is noun.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. And/Or&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;This usage implies three outcomes, not two. I will write a resume and/or a cover letter means that the person will either: (1) write a resume; (2) write a resume and a cover letter; or (3) write a cover letter.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. Assure/Ensure/Insure&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;To &quot;assure&quot; is to convince or to guarantee. The administrator assured him that his resume had been received. &quot;Insure&quot; means to guard against loss. I insured my car. &quot;Ensure&quot; means to make certain. I ensured that I insured my car.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5. It&#39;s/Its&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;This is one of those cases that is an exception to the rule. While the apostrophe typically denotes a possessive, in this case, &quot;it&#39;s&quot; means&#160;it is,&#160;and &quot;its&quot; is the possessive.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;6. Their/There/They&#39;re&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&quot;Their&quot; is a possessive; something belongs to them and it is theirs. &quot;There&quot; is where something is; it is over there. &quot;They&#39;re&quot; is where they are; they&#39;re (they are) over there.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;7. Then/Than&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&quot;Then&quot; is when something will happen and means next or consequently. I will go to the store and then go home. &quot;Than&quot; indicates a difference. Chocolate is better than vanilla.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;8. To/Too/Two&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&quot;To&quot; is a function word indicating an action or process. I want to write my resume. &quot;Too&quot; indicates an excessive amount of something. I am too tired to write my resume. &quot;Two&quot; is the number that follows one and precedes three.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;9. Utilize&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&quot;Utilized&quot; means use. Use &quot;use&quot; and not utilize.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;10. Whose/Who&#39;s&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&quot;Whose&quot; is a possessive. Whose resume is it? &quot;Who&#39;s&quot; means who is. Who&#39;s at the door?&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;11. Your/You&#39;re&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;&quot;Your&quot; is a possessive. It is your turn. &quot;You&#39;re&quot; means you are. You’re correct.&#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p1&quot;&gt;For more commonly misused words, there&#39;s a great list over at &lt;a rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot; href=&quot;http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/words/commonly-confused-words&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Oxford Dictionaries&lt;/a&gt;. Another option is to conduct an online search for &quot;commonly confused words&quot; and you&#39;ll&#160; find plenty of results to choose from. And if you&#39;re still not sure about the use of a word, ask someone else to proofread your resume for you.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p3&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s1&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;This post was adapted from the new&#160;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/product.aspx?isbn=9781438148465&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s2&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Vault Guide to Resumes and Job-Hunting Skills&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p4&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Follow us on&#160;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/product.aspx?isbn=9781438165578&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s2&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Twitter&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;p4&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Follow us on&#160;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.instagram.com/vaultcareers/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;s2&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Instagram&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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