Typing mistakes (a.k.a. typos) can be found anywhere from
online articles to newspaper stories to instruction booklets. Quite often we will laugh at them. But typos are not so funny when your resume
describes you as a “rabid typist of 70 words a minutes” instead of a “rapid
typist of 70 words a minute”. A resume
and cover letter are the employer’s first impression of you. When someone applies to a YWCA position with a
cover letter that starts out addressed to the YMCA, it causes me to wonder
about the accuracy of what’s on the resume.
How do you avoid typos? Accountemps, a staffing company suggests:
1)
Get Help. Enlist detail-oriented family members,
friends or mentors to proof read your resume and provide honest feedback.
2)
Take a time out. Before submitting your resume
take a break and come back to it with a set of fresh eyes. You might catch
something you missed the first time.
3)
Print a copy. It is easy to overlook typos or
formatting errors when reading on a monitor. Read it through slowly and pay
close attention to font styles and sizes, in addition to spelling and grammar.
4)
Read it aloud. Your ears might catch errors that
your eyes have overlooked.
