Sweat the Details of Your Job Search

Sweat the Details of Your Job SearchSweat the Details of Your Job SearchWhen your job application is competing with many others, its the little details that count.Did you know that March 4th is National Grammar Day ? The holiday was established in 2008 by Martha Brockenbrough, founder of the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar(SPOGG)and author of Things That Make Us Sic , to remind people to speak well, write well, and help others do the same.In todays saturated job market, its in your best interest to treat every day like grammar day. When your application is competing with hundreds of others, the smallest error can be used to eliminate you from the pile.In this mobile age, weve grown accustomed to using short-hand for texts and tweets, and have become all too reliant on spell-check. These days, its very easy to overlook the little mistakes, such as using higher when you really meant to say hire.Its time to sweat the small stuff, folks Use this checklist to make sure you make the right impression with prospective employers.Job applicationsBe careful with capitalization, punctuation and grammar in both your cover letter, and your resume errors in these not only look bad, but they can confuse the ATS software and scramble your application in the system. Embedded images, charts and other objects will have the same effect. The chances of an employer taking the time to manually fix your application in the system are slim to none.EmailUse an email address that incorporates the name you use professionally on your resume and cover letter. Cutesy, offensive, flirtatious or sexual addresses send hiring managers the wrong message.Follow upRead the job description carefully. If an application deadline is listed, then follow up one week after that date. If you cant find a deadline, send your follow-up note one week after your initial application. Remember, if the job listing states no calls,do notcall to follow up. The employer will assume you cant follow directions .Online presenceRemember that spelling and proper grammar even in the Twittersphere count. In fact, Jobvites social recruiting survey found that employers were more turned off by misspellings and grammatical errors found on candidates social media profiles than by images of the candidates drinking an alcoholic beverage. Your online presence has become an increasingly important part of an employers screening process make sure yours passes the test.Interview next stepsIf your interview requires you to bring samples of your work, choose your best and most applicable pieces and give them a good proofread. Also, carefully proofread your thank-you note. Then read it again. Then have your friend proofread it. Make sure everything is spelled properly (including the interviewers name and title), and correct all typos before hitting the send button or dropping the envelope into the mailbox.As a job seeker, theres no excuse for handing in work samples, job applications or any other communi cation related to the interview process with grammatical errors and typos. If youre not a natural writer, or youre struggling to craft the right resume, seek help from a professional.If youre looking for some resources to improve your knowledge of punctuation and grammar, check out the following booksEats, Shoots Leaves The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne TrussWoe Is I The Grammarphobes Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T. OConner