Writing well doesn’t have to be difficult but if you’ve ever written a cover letter or resume, you understand just how hard it is to avoid errors. Just type “excelent attention to detail” in your resume and watch how fast it gets tossed into the trash bin. Presenting yourself as a smart, capable worker who communicates effectively is very important to hiring managers.
With that being said, there are four grammar mistakes that seem to haunt all of us whether we’re sending an email, drafting a cover letter, or formatting a resume and they deserve one more proofread before you hit that send button:
Gender-Specific Pronouns
Rather than using he or she, see whether you can make the subject of your sentence plural and change the gender-exclusive pronoun to the plural form (they, them, or their). Try substituting his or her for a gender-exclusive pronoun when the subject is singular. [Or] revise the sentence to avoid using personal pronouns altogether.
Apostrophes
If you use a contraction, it’ll need an apostrophe. For possession, check carefully each use of its and it’s in your writing. If you are indicating possession, there is no need for an apostrophe [with its versus it’s]. However, if you are using a shortened form of it is, you need an apostrophe to take the place of the missing letter.
Capitalizing
Although capitalization errors can easily occur, it is important to avoid them. Frequently, capitalization errors – like spelling errors – jump out and distract readers from what a writer is saying. For your credentials, capitalize the names of actual courses, schools, and subjects. Do not capitalize when you are making a general reference.
Fragment Sentences
A fragment is part of a sentence that is punctuated as though it were a complete sentence. To combat fragment sentences, read through each sentence on its own. Does it make sense standing alone or out of context? Does it still convey a thought? If not, it needs to be merged with another sentence to become complete. This strengthens your writing and the stance you take in it.
Every professional can benefit from learning how to write well because it could be the catalyst that catches a hiring manager’s eye and gets you a job interview or it could impress your boss which could result in a raise or promotion.
Source: A Commonsense Guide to Grammar and Usage
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