The last thing any internship or entry-level job seeker wants to do is send out a resume that has typos. Even one could make or break a candidate’s chances of landing a great job. Right? Well, maybe not, according……

I DO look at spelling mistakes. As Lance has said, put your best foot forward.

But I’ll be a little gracious if there’s only one or two minimal ones. However, if the role calls for “attention to detail” then I’m a little more callous. Sorry folks but we are doing the hiring and they want the job.

Everything counts.

Lance, the idea of a candidate being thrown out by a recruiter, or HR professional for a spelling error, or one sentence run amok, is the issue. First, I look for a pattern of success doing what I expect the right candidate to do for my client. If they have that, I’ll certainly overlook a spelling error and help them get it corrected before moving on.

If I don’t someone else will and they may just get a very talented addition to the team.

(and god help me if there’s a mistake in my comment!)

I don’t buy your analogy, as most of the readers of this blog are not hiring musicians. We are hiring individuals who need to portray competence and, many times, precision to those with whom they communicate. If you really want your analogy to work, compare a resume for a corporate professional to an audition of a musician. Missed notes in an audition would cost the musician their opportunity in many, if not all, occasions. The same should hold true for resumes in the corporate world.

The reality is that people make mistakes. I see it in resumes, newspapers, websites and books. So if you’re a HR pro or hiring manager and you are disqualifying people simply for a spelling mistake or two, I don’t think you are making the best hiring decision.

I’d also be curious about where a company stands where I’ve claimed something on my resume that wasn’t true, but since it contains spelling mistakes (and you corrected it/ invented other words I didn’t write) invalidates the claim/statement. Can you still dismiss me for that? Probably need an employment attorney for that one!