# Is bad grammar OK on a resume? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 9, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bad-grammar-ok-on-a-resume/553231 "2010-09-09T21:44:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bad-grammar-ok-on-a-resume/553231/41 "2010-09-12T15:21:33Z")
When I hire law clerks, I don’t read beyond the first error of any sort in a resume, because English skills are necessary. For other jobs, it would depend the degree to which English skills would be needed, if a resume were needed at all. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bad-grammar-ok-on-a-resume/553231/42 "2010-09-12T20:06:04Z")
> [@Oy](#): > > Normally, I would answer the OP with an unequivocal “No!” But then I looked at the example: > > “Having experience with SQL databases.” > > This is not bad grammar. It is short for “I am having experience with SQL databases,” which is perfectly correct but very non-standard usage for Americans. Reading it, I would assume the writer was from the sub-continent. No, it’s not perfectly correct. ‘I am having’ is used for temporary situations that you’re in the middle of right now and which might end soon (‘I’m having a good time.’) Unless the experience is going to vanish, the present continuous is incorrect. It would be fine if it were a subclause of a longer sentence: ‘Having experience with SQL databases, I fulfil the main skills requirement of the criteria.’ ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bad-grammar-ok-on-a-resume/553231/43 "2010-09-12T20:30:55Z")
The first question I would ask is: What are MY qualifications for judging the correct usage of grammar? ---
**Author:** ![rayman5321](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@rayman5321](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayman5321)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bad-grammar-ok-on-a-resume/553231/44 "2010-09-12T20:44:49Z")
Never ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bad-grammar-ok-on-a-resume/553231/45 "2010-09-12T22:04:38Z")
When I review resumes, those with spelling mistakes or grammar mistakes will be instantly placed in the bottom of the pile. Formatting problems/inconsistencies also drive me crazy. ---
**Author:** ![KinkiNipponTourist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9bcb4/32.png) [@KinkiNipponTourist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KinkiNipponTourist)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bad-grammar-ok-on-a-resume/553231/46 "2010-09-13T11:18:10Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > The LPGA tour put in a rule that golfers must know basic English. (if you don’t know that tour is dominated by Asian golfers in terms of top players) There was a big uproar about how that was discrimination and they quickly dropped the rule. I never understood the problem with that rule. As I remember from the hub-bub here, where a fair amount of pro golfers don’t speak English, they were upset/annoyed that while they were originally invited for their golf skills and thus the ability to pull in advertisers, revenue, viewership, suddenly they were told to leave if, in addition to their considerable golfing skill, they now had to possess English skills. I don’t know how pro golf works, but from what I read, I got the impression that while of course playing in the LPGA tour is a big honor for Japanese players, they resented suddenly having to prove themselves English-wise. Whatever problems there would be with having players not understand English–and I imagine they would be considerable–I wonder why it was okay for awhile, and then suddenly it wasn’t. Did things just hit a tipping point, or was there some other factor? But I imagine the reason the rule was dropped was because of all the backlash (read: threats to stop sending shedloads of cash to help sponsor tours) from Japanese and other asian companies. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bad-grammar-ok-on-a-resume/553231/47 "2010-09-13T12:22:53Z")
Depends on the job and the number of applicants, and the quality thereof. I once had to sift 150 résumés for a writing position. If there was one single spelling, punctuation, formatting or grammatical mistake on the front page, the résumé went in the “fuck off” pile. About 50 of them ended up in that pile before I even started considering candidates. However, for an HTML coding position once, perfect writing in the résumé was only a “desirable”. And for the shitty money I was paying, I _only_ got Indian, Chinese and Eastern European applicants. So I overlooked some of the minor errors and ended up employing someone from India whose English wasn’t perfect, but turned out to be wonderful in the role - and I educated her in writing business English as we went along. [wanker] Looking at the standard of writing in some of the posts above, would those people even notice errors when they occurred? [/wanker] ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bad-grammar-ok-on-a-resume/553231/48 "2010-09-13T13:08:37Z")
> [@infinitii](#): > > The first question I would ask is: What are MY qualifications for judging the correct usage of grammar? Oh, please! Sure there’s a difference between people who know when to use an emdash and when to use an endash, but if you can’t spot general grammar and spelling mistakes, like the difference between there/their/they’re, then you probably shouldn’t be in a position where you’re reviewing resumes and making decisions that could affect the productivity of your company. ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bad-grammar-ok-on-a-resume/553231/49 "2010-09-13T15:22:28Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > > [@Oy](#): > > > > Normally, I would answer the OP with an unequivocal “No!” But then I looked at the example: > > > > “Having experience with SQL databases.” > > > > This is not bad grammar. It is short for “I am having experience with SQL databases,” which is perfectly correct but very non-standard usage for Americans. Reading it, I would assume the writer was from the sub-continent. > > No, it’s not perfectly correct. ‘I am having’ is used for temporary situations that you’re in the middle of right now and which might end soon (‘I’m having a good time.’) Unless the experience is going to vanish, the present continuous is incorrect. > > It would be fine if it were a subclause of a longer sentence: ‘Having experience with SQL databases, I fulfil the main skills requirement of the criteria.’ Well, let’s put it this way: I would not be at all surprised to hear the sentence “I am having experience with SQL databases.” from an Indian whose first language is English (of which there are many). It is a matter of usage. It is a very foreign usage to American and UK English speakers, but it not atypical of other English speakers, and it _is_ grammatically correct. The speaker is currently in possession of experience with SQL databases and that is an on-going condition. We in the US and other European-based English language environments have the “might end soon” implication on that construction, but my experience has been that the sub-continent’s usage differs from ours in that respect. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bad-grammar-ok-on-a-resume/553231/50 "2010-09-13T16:00:08Z")
Are we talking about people _in_ China, or people _from_ China? If the former, totally excusable. Hell, there’s a good chance the person they got to proofread _told_ them to write it that way. If they live here, they should know better. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bad-grammar-ok-on-a-resume/553231/51 "2010-09-13T16:44:32Z")
The person is from China, she’s been in the US for at least 5 years, she has a green card. I just interviewed the person. Her English was OK for grammar but her accent made it hard to understand her at times. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bad-grammar-ok-on-a-resume/553231/52 "2010-09-13T16:46:12Z")
Grey area, then. I guess it depends on whether your code monkeys need to be able to communicate to do their jobs. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bad-grammar-ok-on-a-resume/553231/53 "2010-09-13T17:02:42Z")
BTW we don’t have “code monkeys” here. The people who do programming don’t just sit in a cube and churn out code. They often have to meet and interact with PhD level government scientists. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bad-grammar-ok-on-a-resume/553231/54 "2010-09-13T17:03:13Z")
… who are also Chinese? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bad-grammar-ok-on-a-resume/553231/55 "2010-09-13T17:08:37Z")
The scientists are boring old Americans and a guy from India. There are a few Chinese PhDs but we normally don’t work with them. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bad-grammar-ok-on-a-resume/553231/56 "2010-09-13T19:39:23Z")
Can the PhD scientists write effectively? 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-bad-grammar-ok-on-a-resume/553231.md?page=2)