How to spell resume with an accent

The English word “résumé” comes directly from the French past participle of the verb “resumer,” meaning “to sum up.” The translation makes sense considering a résumé in a professional context is essentially a summary of your work and education history. To correctly spell “résumé” with accents, you should include the accent mark on the “e”s because this is how the term is conjugated in the French language.

How to spell resume without an accent

Spelling “resume” without an accent is fairly common in English since it’s more convenient to type. However, because the English word “resume” (re·​sume) which means “to begin after stopping,” is spelled the same way, this usage can potentially lead to confusion.

Words that are borrowed from the French language and settle into English speakers’ vocabulary commonly lose their accent marks. A common example of this is the word “café,” which is frequently spelled “cafe” by anglophones.

The wrong way to spell resume

Although there are a few ways you can spell resume correctly, there are also some common spellings that are incorrect. Avoid these common typos in professional settings so you don’t appear misinformed:

• Résume
• Resumè
• Resume’

The bottom line is that the accent marks matter. When using the original French spelling, “resume” requires a French accent mark called an “accent aigu” for the pronunciation of the “e” to make sense. An accent mark facing the other direction, called an “accent grave,” changes the pronunciation of the word when placed over an “e.”

While an accent aigu creates an “eh” sound, as in “hey,” the accent grave creates a shorter “e” sound, like in “bet.”

Does it matter which resume spelling I use on my website or job posting?

How do you know which spelling is right for your job posting?

While “resume,” “résumé” and “resumé” are all generally considered acceptable English spellings, there’s a simple method for deciding which version to use when posting a job.

Dropping the accents and using “resume” is a common choice that most jobseekers have come to expect.

Why is spelling so important in a job posting?

Why spend time thinking about whether the resume accent is important to your job posting? When it comes to finding candidates, correct spelling and grammar are essential (according to candidates).

Beside spelling mistakes, some of the critical job posting errors that could cost you candidates include:

• Directly Copying Wording from other Job Postings: Directly copying elements of job posts that candidates might come across may be seen by candidates as the employer not putting into the process as them.
• Being Inconsistent: If what you say in your job posting doesn’t align with things on your website or subsequent interviews, job seekers may lose trust.
• Too Much Fluff in Your Job Description: Job descriptions should be similar to resumes in that they are a summary. Keep your ideas concise and to the point to avoid wasting a candidate’s time. Only include relevant details in the descriptions so job seekers can see how their skills match to the description.