You hear from an applicant with all the skills and experience the hiring manager wants. But there’s a problem: The resume contains a spelling error. What do you do?
The most common reaction: putting the resume straight in the trash. In fact, 47% of hiring managers won’t consider an applicant who makes a single typo in a resume or cover letter, according to a survey by OfficeTeam. Another 37% would remove the candidate from the running after two mistakes.
The reasoning is that letting errors slip through could be a sign the candidate lacks professionalism or pays no attention to detail. So how are they going to perform a detail-oriented job?
But that’s not the only opinion out there. Lance Haun of YourHRGuy.com says that, unless you’re hiring a writer, the candidate’s job-related skills and experience should take precedence over a small resume typo.
Employers are often afraid one mistake will be indicative of the rest of the person’s work, but there’s no reason to believe that’s true, Haun says. And some companies may have passed on great employees because of one small error.
What do you think? How many typos would you have to find before throwing away a resume? Let us know your opinion in the comments section below.
