MAX MESSMER

Scripps Howard News Service

What will prompt a prospective employer to immediately eliminate you from consideration for a job? A typo.

Yes, a single errant keystroke can prove costly to your career. Seventy-six percent of senior executives said that just one or two spelling or grammatical mistakes on a resume is enough to ruin an applicant’s chances, according to a Robert Half survey. In another study, CareerBuilder recently asked hiring managers what would make them automatically dismiss a candidate from consideration. Typos topped the list.

Take heed and keep yourself in the running by carefully proofreading your document. The following individuals knocked themselves out of contention with these easily avoidable errors:

“SKILLS: Strong verbak skills.”

Frankly, we’re more concerned with your writing abilities.

“QUALIFICATIONS: Team player and good hepper.”

We could use some help understanding this statement.

“SALARY REQUIREMENTS: Me rate is affordable.”

My, my, my.

“STRENGTHS: Positive additude.”

This doesn’t add to your case.

“SKILLS: I am very detailed-oriented.”

We have our doubts.

“QUALIFICATIONS: I have the skills and abilities the knowledge and the experience.”

But, unfortunately, not the commas.

As any schoolteacher will tell you, the English language is tricky. When you review your resume and cover letter, keep your eyes pealed ... er, peeled ... for homophones, words that are pronounced the same way but have different spellings or meanings.

“STRENGTHS: Able to collaborate with colleagues from either side of the isle.”

Who needs vacation time when you work on an island!

“EDUCATION: Duel major in literature and criminology.”

A grammatical misdemeanor.

Finally, while you should use humor sparingly, if at all, in your application materials, this witty (and punctuation-minded) professional gave us a good laugh:

“ABOUT ME: Hard-working, fun-loving, hyphen-using.”

Max Messmer is CEO of Robert Half International, a specialized staffing firm. Send examples to Resumania, c/o Robert Half International, 2884 Sand Hill Road, Suite 200, Menlo Park, CA 94025. Or visit www.resumania.com.