Canadian Study: A Single Job Application Spelling Mistake Can Cost You The Job
Warning to job seekers: if you’ve heard over the years that a single typo on your job application, cover letter or resume can cost you the job, it’s not mere chatter but now confirmed in a Canadian study:
Typing mistakes in a job application can kill a would-be employee’s chance of landing a job as employers bet that a sloppy resume means the applicant will do a sloppy job.
A telephone survey of 100 senior Canadian executives showed that more than a fifth of executives said a single typo on a resume or cover letter could cost a potential employee a job, while 28 percent said two mistakes would kill their chances.
The Reuters report says the survey was conducted by the online job search firm Accountemps. This report is of increased importance in today’s economy where many people all over the world are looking for jobs (as I write this I personally know of two adults and two teens who are out job hunting.)
“The resume is an applicant’s first chance to impress the hiring manager,” said Kathryn Bolt, president of Accountemps’ Canadian operations. “Mistakes on one’s application materials may prompt employers to assume there also will be mistakes made on the job.”
Even so, Reuters reports, all may not be lost…depending on the job hirer: 19 percent of the executives said they’d consider an application with four or more typos — but those aren’t great odds. Some common mistakes include:
“Dear Sir or Madman”, “I’m attacking my resume for you to review”, “Following is a grief overview of my skills” and “Have a keen eye for derail.
FOOTNOTE: We take great care here at TMV to ensure that our posts are all perfect and can stand as solid role models. Yu wn’t see any speling mistackes hear. We garantee it.
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4 Responses to “Canadian Study: A Single Job Application Spelling Mistake Can Cost You The Job”
If you have 200 people applying for a position step #1 is to cut that number down. Even if you've got a much lower number, it means you're sloppy when it presumably counts. Not a good start.
is anibuddy surprized buy the sirvays' conclussions?
If I see a resume with a typo it goes into a “maybe” pile. Then as I look at qualifications I'll consider it if there are no other strong candidates. I think if a person has good qualifications and can do the job, then a single typo should not automatically disqualify them.
Now if it was a copyeditor's position…
I've found most resume writing advice awful and most resumes hopeless, giving no idea what the applicant actually did. Many applicants aren't native English speakers, and I try to make grammatical allowances.
But I remain consistently puzzled by resumes with typos that a spell checker would flag. It's hard to find editing software these days that doesn't proactively flag spelling problems. You've got to be trying not to pay attention.