You’ve heard it hundreds of times: always proofread your resume. Read it twice, three times, four times . . . let other people read it.
Make sure that the resume contains no errors and is basically “bulletproof.” However, at least once you’ve thought to yourself, “C’mon, how important could it really be? I mean, if I have the skills, the experience, and the talent, is a company really going to NOT hire me because of a typo?”
The answer is YES!
And I have irrefutable proof of this.
That’s because just recently I was on the phone with the hiring manager of one of my clients. He was making a decision between two candidates for one of his employer’s open positions.
Both candidates had interviewed well, and the hiring manager liked them both equally. He was having a tough time deciding to which candidate he would extend an offer of employment—until he reviewed the resume of each individual more closely.
The hiring manager noticed that one of the candidates had a grammatical error on their resume, and the other candidate did not. So what did he do? You guessed it: he decided to make an offer to the candidate who did not have a grammatical error on their resume.
So yes, the company really did NOT hire a candidate because of a typo (in this case, because of a grammatical error).
As this case study clearly illustrates, you’re not competing for a job in a vacuum. You’re competing against other candidates. As in this example, when the competition is close and the hiring manager is having trouble deciding which candidate is the best one, little things can mean all the difference in the world.
In the mind of the hiring manager, the candidate who had the resume with no mistakes possessed greater attention to detail and better writing skills than the other candidate. As a result, they were more worthy and deserved the offer.
On the surface, a small typo or grammatical error doesn’t seem like a big deal. However, taken in this context, it can become the difference between receiving an offer of employment and perhaps starting a great new job . . . or starting back at square one.
Hopefully, this blog post will inspire you to give as much attention to your resume as the candidate who received an offer from my client. Your resume can truly be the difference between getting the job or not getting it, as evidenced by the plight of the other candidate in my story.
So proofread your resume and leave nothing to chance!
We help support careers in one of two ways: 1. By helping to find the right opportunity when the time is right, and 2. By helping to recruit top talent for the critical needs of organizations. If this is something you would like to explore further, please send an email to stacy@thevetrecruiter.com.