You have heard it a million times: "you only get one chance to make a good 'first' impression." In a job search, that is doubly true. The materials you deliver to a prospective employer or contractor as an introduction to you as a possible candidate, must express your unique skills and, through the points highlighted in the materials, show you to be the best choice for the job in question. Simple spelling errors; or misuse of, or lack of punctuation; both transgressions diminish the message you are sending to the hiring authority. Such errors suggest you don't attend to details; and maybe, that you are not reliable.

If you are trying to convince someone to hire you, you want to answer questions before they are asked, not raise them before they become issues. Check your resume, cover letter, references, etc. against some of the most common spelling and punctuation related mistakes revealed in this article, so those oversights won't bruise the integrity of your job search documents. Don't assume your "spell check" software will identify all misused or misspelled words. It won't, as proven below. But learn how to search for and find them, if any lurk in your own documents. It all comes down to basic good grammar.

Correct spelling and word usage is essential to good grammar. There is a huge difference in meaning between the words there and they're and their, yet many people commonly - and incorrectly - exchange the spelling and definitions of those words one-for-another. A spell check will approve the misuse of those words every time, because there is no misspelling; the spelling is inherently correct, even though the usage is not, as one word is replaced for another.. Some other commonly misused and misspelled words that find their ways stealthily through your best spell check device, include: then/than; manager/manger; company's/companies; "sells/sales," "disk/disc," "an/and,:" "tune/toon," "receipt/receipe," and a list of other sound-alike words. You have to search your own documents for those mistakes. Don't rely on your spell checker One easy, but thorough, way to check your job resume and other documents, is to read them from top to bottom, by phrase - does each phrase make sense? - any errors? - punctuation correct?

Correct punctuation is another consideration for expressing good grammar, and essential for creating clear business communications. The rules of usage are confusing at times, but reflect common sense communications. People, who are often unsure of correct punctuation while they are writing, can usually recognize incorrect punctuation when they are reading. Therefore, it makes good sense to understand the correct usage for common punctuation marks, such as the period, the comma, the question mark, the exclamation point, quotation marks, apostrophes, colons and semicolons Keep it simple. If you keep your writing straightforward and compelling, there is no requirement to use elaborate displays of punctuation. If you want a deeper understanding of punctuation, access one of the many tutorials available on the subject, as found on the Internet

Correct capitalization can also be included under the heading of 'Punctuation.' Often times, the best way to critique your writing for correct punctuation and capitalization is to read your text aloud, see if it makes good sense and flows without uncomfortable pauses or long, ponderous passages. Don't get caught making the most common, rookie mistake, which is to forget to capitalize the name of a State, or City, or the "Inc." part of a company name, or the full job title - like "General manager," or one of the other dozen or so areas where proper capitalization of words is typically found on resume or cover letter documents. That is why it is so important for you to proofread your resume and other documents. Better you find such a mistake as a prospective employer find it. Do it.

Strive to keep your materials brief, well organized, and focused to send select messages. But understand that regardless of how hard you may try to maintain simplicity, sometimes things get complicated. At those times, your sentence structure becomes more complex, so it has to be reliable. Cover Letters and job descriptions are good examples of how things we say come out sounding complicated. Complex sentences can contain several phrases or clauses, and punctuating them correctly is the key to making them understandable to your reader. If you leave your reader hanging in midair because your improper use of a comma creates a sentence fragment that doesn't conclude, the reader will feel confused, and be forced to reread what you wrote in order to understand it.

If the subject of your writing is at all complex, the telling can sometimes become complex, and you risk losing your audience entirely if you further complicate the concepts being presented by clouding them with bad grammar. Therefore, check and recheck your written documents and spoken word presentation drafts for sentence fragments, run on sentences and misplaced phrases and clauses, and improper punctuation. Make certain you capitalize your writing appropriately. Double check your work. Then double check the double check you just did. Only after detailed attention to accuracy can you be certain you have removed any spelling or punctuation from your job search documents. At that point, you just increased your odds of getting hired.

Mark Baber
http://www.JobNewsRadio.com