Your Lying Eyes: Reveal Hidden Resume Typos

Photo credit: srevenge / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

According to a survey by OfficeTeam, 76 percent of executives interviewed said just one or two typos in a resume are enough to eliminate a job candidates’ chances for consideration. 40 percent actually said that it only takes one typo to toss a resume.

Why are typos such a big deal? They scream CARELESSNESS! Or, even worse, they make you look uneducated. Most of the time, potential employers can’t tell if an error on a resume was caused by simple oversight or ignorance. Either way, they don’t want to chance it. You’re not the right candidate for them.
What’s the lesson here? Proofread!

The importance of proofreading almost cannot be overstated. You simply can’t afford to send a resume out without doing everything in your power to ensure it doesn’t contain errors. But here’s the kicker: You can’t trust yourself. Even the best writers in the world don’t catch their own mistakes. The human brain has a way of filling in the blanks. When you read something you know well, your brain skips over stuff (like missing words, incorrect grammar and punctuation, etc.). You literally see what you want to see.

You absolutely MUST have a second pair of eyes review your resume. And a third pair of eyes. And, if you can stomach it, a fourth pair of eyes. Ask friends and family members or, if you don’t trust them, hire a freelance editor to look over your work. For a small fee, an editor can make sure your resume doesn’t get eliminated for some silly mistake.