Okay, I know. You've probably heard it thousands of times - watch your spelling, watch your grammar. Honestly, I get sick of reading those rules myself - and Im a writer! But it's so true, and it's definitely something none of us should ignore. There are times when I'll be kicking back, enjoying a good cup of coffee or treating myself to a bottle of that delicious Thomas Kemper vanilla creme coda, totally immersed in a great article. Next thing I know, up pops a blatant typo.

Okay, so Ill let it go. It throws me a little, but Ill keep reading. Few seconds later, another one. Eventually, another one pops up.

Heres what Im sayingthis article can be great, fantastic, but things like typos, especially if they keep appearing, just totally smash into my concentration. One typo, Ill keep going, but more than that, I start cringing and sadly, losing respect for the article, and maybe even the writer.

You might think thats a bit picky when it comes to reading articles, but it helps to have that kind of attitude. It makes you something of a perfectionist, which can only help when it comes to creating your own resumes and cover letters.

Hiring managers, while reading your resume, arent going to allow for one single typo. Dont believe me? Well, you can test that theory, but I dont recommend it. These kinds of errors shout CARELESS. UNPROFESSIONAL.

Your resume is a critical 1 to 2-page document, presenting you as a candidate for employment. An employer may think, if this individual cant even take the time to proofread something this important, why should I consider hiring this person?

So heres what you should do to keep these spelling blemishes from appearing all over your resumes & cover letters:

Run a spell check on your resume and cover letter. But beware of spell checksdont totally rely on them. Computer spell checks will pick out words that arent misspelled (to, two, too), or skip over words that dont belong in a sentence. So what do you do?

Run your own manual spell check. Look it over, and read it aloudthis will help you catch more errors a lot faster.

Pass your resume and cover letter along to a friend or two and let them readchances are, they might end up catching something youve missed.

By keeping your resume and cover letter totally clear of these spelling errors, you can keep the hiring managers attention focused on where it should beyour great, unique achievements and qualifications.

Here's to your future career success!

Kit Samuels, nicknamed "The Copy Contessa," uses her flair for writing persuasive marketing & sales copy to create compelling, interview-winning resumes and cover letters. To get a copy of her latest free e-book, 7 Resume & Cover Letter Tips That'll Get You More Interviews you can check out her website today: ksresumes.com