This sort of reminds me of an old joke about a man in
a buggy with his wife who continues to make
disparaging remarks and, at three, he pulls out his
gun and shoots the wife. I think the transferrable
quote from that joke here would be, "That's two!"
Hypothetically, one is attempting to secure a job.
Hypothetically, one has submitted a cover letter
and/or resume that is laden with typo(s). Could be
one, could be many.
You have only so many seconds to impress a person
screening your document. There are so many factors
that are considered, many of them, in fact,
psychological. How does your document look to the
naked eye? Is it aesthetically placed? Is it neat,
and the paper clean? Is it well written?
Such documents are used to market oneself. You
wouldn't go to an interview in torn jeans, full of
grease, and a t-shirt that smells as though you lived
in it for weeks. You'd probably brush your teeth, and
hopefully comb your hair.
Your resume and cover letter present you before you
can do so in person if allowed the opportunity. If
you put forth documentation that is incredibly sloppy
(there are such simple devices as spell checkers),
what are you actually telling a prospective employer
about the nature of your potential work product? If
you are required to submit written materials in the
course of your job, is your employer going to have to
present to his/her manager information that is fraught
with mistakes, or is (s)he going to have to correct
your work before so doing? Are any exhibits you
design going to be sloppy?
You're marketing yourself. A typo MIGHT be
overlooked. More than one and/or grammatical errors
probably will not be looked at favorably by a
screener. When I screened the resumes of 200+
candidates this summer, some that were qualified were
marked lower in ranking because their resumes
reflected a sloppy work product. The job demanded
accuracy. An inaccurate resume did not portend to
deliver quality work product.
Think about it. There are countless potential
applicants for any given position. Your
qualifications may be matched or bettered by other
candidates who took the time to ensure that what they
presented about themselves put them in the best
possible light--even if that means having a second
pair of eyes peruse their document.
I was a proofreader and editor for five years, and I
can damned sure spot the errors in other people's work
but, as I've demonstrated here time and again, it's
harder to see one's own until the cyber gremlins get a
hold of it and change my words and make them sound
like gibberish or look like it before delivered.
Someone who reads anything you have written, screening
in such fashion, generally reads approximately the
first seven words and the last three or four in any
paragraph. It behooves you to have sufficient white
space, ensure there are no grammatical or spelling
errors, and make sure your document is strategically
placed within the page.
Now about the "That's two!" comment.
Mark, unless you're planning to stay in that much
enlightened geographic locale and have no plans to
return the US, you just excreted fecal matter in the
proverbial mess kit.
Countless potential future employers just saw you
berate their country and their work ethic. What you
wrote had an aura of a belief in your own superiority
and a demonstration that you believed their value was
much diminished to your own.
I think the expression "If you think you're that
damned good, and we're so damned bad, stay where you
are, and don't come back" comes to mind.
However, since civility is oft required, I would
suggest you rethink your commentary in light of these
words and express your personal regret at such a
social gaffe . . . but I don't think I'll hold my
breath waiting for that.
I wish you growth and good wishes.
--- "Mark C. Cohen" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Paula Lynch <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 02, 2002 12:09 PM
> Subject: Re: no-name ads
>
>
> -snip-
>
> >What is not acceptable are typos in your cover
> letter!
> > Happens all the time and sadly is usually cause
> to disregard a resume.
> >
>
>
> You have just demonstrated the very worst of
> America. Perhaps I am just not
> on the level of personnel managers and headhunters
> who never make mistakes,
> so maybe it is appropriate to throw out my resume
> because I've mispelled
> something in my cover letter. That of course is the
> true measure of a good
> designer/manager (like myself) -- that I never make
> a spelling mistake.
>
> Other parts of the world are not so insecure and
> self-important to judge a
> candidate by his/her spelling or the paper stock
> used, but thank God we in
> America know what is important!
>
> I am so disappointed in how petty, mechanized,
> non-thinking and plain stupid
> American business practice became during my seven
> year sojourn overseas.
>
>
> Mark C. Cohen
> Design, Technical and Management Services
=====
Indigo Nights
[log in to unmask]
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