Does Spelling Count?

Poor grammar and spelling errors drive me nuts. Now, I won't say I never make typos — sometimes I don't find them until someone points them out or I re-read something I wrote years earlier and there's a huge typo staring up at me. When that happens I'm truly embarrassed. When I write something, I proofread it many times (and I'm sure you can imagine how many times I'm looking over this piece). Some errors just slip by, no matter how many times I re-read an email, a blog post or an article. I try my best and, in the end, considering how much I write, I think I do a good job of keeping my work typo free.

All this explains why a post on the Career Hub Blog caught my eye this afternoon. Resume writer and career counselor, Chandlee Bryan wrote about avoiding spelling and grammatical errors in writing (read Why Spelling Remains in Style). Chandlee refers to a post on The Brazen Careerist, where blogger Penelope Trunk claimed that "writing without typos is outdated." Outdated? Should we not even try to make sure our writing is error-free? Like Chandlee, I disagree with this. While there are people who can overlook typos, I'm not among them. I see a typo and I think the person who left it there was careless — even if that person was myself. Sure a typo in an email can slip by, but a typo on a resume or cover letter should not. That's why I always advise people not to send a resume immediately after writing it. Set it aside for a day or two and then take a look at it. Better yet, have someone else proofread it for you. You are less likely to catch your own mistakes. Typos give the reader the impression you haven't given enough thought to your work. You have to ask yourself if that's what you want a prospective employer to think of you.