Will mentioning dyslexia on your resume hold you back in your job search?

Good writing is an important skill, and one that impresses recruiters, but for dyslexic job seekers, revealing it during the recruitment process is a delicate decision. Here’s why.

According to the International Federation of Dyslexia and Dyscalculia Associations, 1 in every 5 people has dyslexia. “It’s a neurodevelopment issue caused by neurobiological and sometimes genetic factors,” explains speech therapist Aurelien Bresson—“It isn’t psychological.” This learning difficulty impacts reading and writing throughout people’s lives. Dyslexia is well recognized and addressed for children, especially during their education, but it remains an issue throughout adulthood and presents a daily challenge to those affected.

“I tend to confuse the letters V and B, and sometimes P,” says Cecile, 35, even though she’s a communications professor. “Usually it happens when I’m tired as I struggle to remember the sounds and write them correctly.” Recruitment agency manager Soumaya, 34, admits that she has issues with the letters B, P, T, and D. “I use this little mnemonic to help me, which consists of repeating ‘baba, papa, tata, dada.’”

In 50% of cases, dyslexics also have other issues linked to the same factors, like dysorthography (difficulties learning to write words correctly and follow grammatical rules), dyspraxia (a disorder affecting movement and coordination) and even dysphasia (a type of speech impediment).

Spelling and social status

At work, dyslexics are under constant pressure. “I’m a managing director. I represent my company, and the pressure I feel when sending written material out into the world is huge,” says Magali, 43. “Society looks down on spelling mistakes.” Good spelling and grammar are (wrongly) seen as a sign of intelligence and trustworthiness. According to a study conducted in 2019 by OpinionWay, three-quarters of employers place great importance on the way their employees write—mainly because they fear giving the outside world a bad impression of their company. 15% even admit that a sizable lack of writing skills can hinder promotion. As for recruitment, 52% of HR directors interviewed said they had eliminated candidates because of poor writing skills.

Yet as Bresson explains, “Dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence. Writing is seen as an important skill in our society and spelling has become a sign of elitism. Errors in a resume can be prohibitive. It’s disappointing because for dyslexics it’s nothing to do with a lack of intellectual or social ability. A difficulty shouldn’t be confused with an ability,” he insists. “Some dyslexics have developed impressive compensation mechanisms.”

Should you mention dyslexia on your Resume?

People with dyslexia usually become aware of discrimination in the workplace early on in their careers. According to a CSA study conducted in 2023, 59% of candidates with dyslexia hid it during the interview and hiring process and 50% of them kept doing so even once they started working in the role. “When I first started, I mentioned it during the recruitment process, but I was penalized because of it, so now I don’t, Soumaya explains. “When my colleagues found out, they were surprised and told me they couldn’t tell, but that’s because I’ve developed good mnemonic tools to compensate for it.” The problem is largely caused by a lack of knowledge about dyslexia in the workplace. In fact, many companies are not aware of neurodevelopmental issues and/or are not trained to handle them appropriately. A lack of training in the organizational structure goes against dyslexic candidates.

“We live in an ableist society,” explains Juliette Naji-Dumas, an inclusive recruitment specialist. “Most hiring managers are afraid of getting it wrong and not finding the right person. Even if a disability is minimal, they find it scary, it pushes them out of their comfort zone, and they’re already busy and overloaded by the recruitment process.” She believes it’s better not to mention dyslexia on your resume. “It’s really a matter of personal choice, but it won’t increase your chances of a callback and it may go against you.” Eglantine Tancray, CEO of the recruitment agency Taylor River, shares this view, “It’s a delicate topic but it’s really up to the candidate. If you’re talking to an experienced or inclusive recruiter then why not? But unconscious bias can indeed get in the way, and writing difficulties can wrongly be associated with a lack of ability.” For Nathalie Groh, president of a dyslexia federation, “It’s better not to reveal everything right away but to take things step by step so you don’t spook your managers. Candidates want to stand out for their abilities, not for their difficulties.”

Dyslexics have a lot to bring to the table

Although a lack of knowledge among managers and employers can be harmful to candidates, it also highlights those with good profiles. 59% of employees with dyslexia interviewed by the CSA believe that their difficulty is the reason they’ve developed other skills like creativity (65%), resourcefulness (65%), perseverance (63%), listening skills (61%), memory skills (61%), and organizational skills (61%). It’s what’s now known as “dyslexic thinking”—a set of skills that are officially recognized on LinkedIn following an awareness campaign by Virgin’s Richard Branson, who is also dyslexic. The millionaire applauds the “deep work and creative thinking” of people with dyslexia and invites companies to recognize their potential. “We want to do more than others, so we learn new skills to compensate,” Soumaya confirms. “We’re always striving to be the best. Personally, I’ve always felt the need to prove that having this difficulty doesn’t mean I can’t be on top.”

For speech therapist Bresson, “Including people with difficulties in a company can be an advantage as they offer different profiles and skill sets.” As for Tancray, she also encourages people to break the taboos around different vulnerabilities in the workplace: “Diversity is in everyone’s interests. Equality is essential to the development of any company and offers immediate benefits,” she explains. “We need more conversation around vulnerabilities in general. We’re still living with the myth of the all-powerful, pragmatic, self-assured warrior male. We need more inclusive leadership and awareness of everyone’s vulnerabilities.”

Nina Ramen, CEO of the French organization Ramentafraise, has almost 100,000 LinkedIn followers. She’s a self-taught copywriter who learned her craft despite her dyslexia and has written sales pages that have generated a six-figure revenue, published posts with over 500,000 views, and written a book on copywriting for entrepreneurs and freelancers. Here’s what she has to say: “When I started talking about copywriting on LinkedIn, I felt like an imposter, so I worked my butt off to silence my own inner critic. It was like a sort of revenge, because as a kid a part of me admired people who could write. I felt like they had this superpower. Over time, I completely detached myself from others’ opinions. Today, if someone is going to judge me for a typo, then it’s not someone I’m interested in talking to.” Ramen now helps other women speak out on LinkedIn so they “aren’t afraid of putting themselves out there, warts and all, and can showcase their qualities and banish their imposter syndrome. I’ve made a career out of it.”

In summary, experts seem to suggest that mentioning your dyslexia on your resume probably isn’t the best idea. However, those who feel the need to share, especially if they want to request accommodations in a certain role, should present it as an advantage and list the qualities and skills they’ve developed over time because of it. It’s also best to wait until the end of the recruitment process when you’ve already developed a relationship with the company, or even once you’ve been hired. That said, at work, just like in life, speaking out is a personal choice.

Translated by Debbie Garrick

Photo: Welcome to the Jungle

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