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.

I have always wondered if the "1-typo-they're out" types even
perceive these other priorities, let alone balance them.

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 before I even care (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.

John

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