I am glad that Raymond Ward of The (New) Legal Writer wrote about an Office Team survey on typos (typographical errors). The survey showed that typos do affect our job prospects.
When 150 executives were asked, "How many typos in a resume does it take for you to not consider a job candidate for a position with your company?" 47 percent responded "One typo." Two typos were enough to turn away another 37 percent of the executives.
Why would executives place so much emphasis on perfection? My belief is that they assume job applicants are demonstrating their very best work in their job search. Therefore, if the resumes or CVs (curricula vitae) aren’t perfect, applicants’ work on the job will not be perfect either.
The moral: A resume with errors will be ineffective at least 84 percent of the time. It is worth the effort to be sure it is perfect.
For a perfect example (I hope) of a free cover letter and resume to download, try this link on my website. It will take you to a cover letter and resume, with commentary, that I helped a friend refine. I am happy to say that she succeeded in getting the interview and the job. (Note: I have disguised her name and contact information.)
Lynn