Re: Typos in resumes

[John Gough <gough -at- AUSTIN -dot- ASC -dot- SLB -dot- COM>]

Geoff Hart said:
>- How important are typos in the grand scheme of things? I
> have to wonder about the wisdom of a hiring manager who
> considers a typo more significant than proper content,
> design and layout, not to mention whether the person is a
> good match for the job.

Exactly. As Geoff and another poster noted, there are other
pressing issues in hiring: is the candidate well matched on
the basis of experience and knowledge of the product's technology?
Are they motivated?  Are they good audience empaths? Can they
improvise their way through tough situations? Those are far
more important issues than typos.

In any given group of resumes I get, it isn't typos that
distress me--it's basic areas of competence like layout and
wordiness and clarity. I guess my threshold is probably
three or four typos (assuming they're not
in the headings). My point: typographic quality isn't
even in my top 6 priorities, and if you've passed those
6, I'll likely cut you some slack. :-) If I don't find
any typos, so much the better.

Whatever your policy is, it is not worth getting
"snippy" about, let alone worth conjuring the specter of "Professionalism."
I usually hear that word right before arguments get ugly...
like the phrase "family values," it's a real button-pusher
that has no agreed-upon definition itself.

John

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