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Does Spelling Effect Hiring Potential?

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I’m very curious from the hiring perspective if misspelling (or other grammar issues) on threads like these can lose points towards getting hired. If you were interviewing someone who referenced their postings (here or elsewhere), would poor grammar hurt them?

Sure, everyone mistypes or misspells every once in a while, but when, say, 30% of a posting has spelling errors, and you have to interpret the misspellings as you read, does it lower your opinion of the poster?

There are issues other than spelling that bother me personally (like using a ‘s to add plurality to a techie word or acronym – ex: PC’s vs. PCs), but these don’t radically change my opinion of the poster. Misspelling on a large scale, however, does.
(And yes, I spell-checked this posting twice as I made myself nervous about the spelling!)

Topic

Re:

In reply to Does Spelling Effect Hiring Potential?

If you check with any hiring manager or headhunter you will find that spelling and grammatical errors can mean the difference between getting hired and not gettign hired. With word processors being what they are today, there generally is no excuse for these types of errors. They generally represent a lack of attention to detail or just plain laziness. As far as they pertain to online forums such as this one I don’t think it matters all that much. Chat rooms/newsgroups, etc, are generally considered to be informal and most users don’t pay much attention unless they’re looking for a reason to attack the poster and poor spelling is all they can come up with.

Only on hiring related documents

In reply to Does Spelling Effect Hiring Potential?

I will agree with the previous poster – on line discussions are informal and not usually given much weight by a hiring manager – and why would you reference an on-line discussion when talking about your qualifications anyway?

If you have a posting that is something like a Master’s thesis or similar, then of course I would expect it to be correct in all areas, subject, spelling, grammar, etc., but I cannot think of too many areas where I would even consider pointing a potential boss to an on-line posting.

If I receive a resume that is contains grammatical errors and obvious spelling errors (I’m not the worlds’ greatest English major) then it goes to the bottom of the stack unless the candidate has some unique qualifications I am seeking, and when he/she shows up for the interview, I’d better be very impressed.

Spelling and grammar errors on a resume are a definate No-No.

jdg

I agree . . .

In reply to Only on hiring related documents

This kind of informal communication would probably not affect anyone’s perception of your hiring potential, unless you were being hired as a proofreader. Official hiring documents such as resumes and cover letters are the most important. Within your company, it would probably be best to try to keep your business related communications always on a professional level in style, grammar and spelling. I have seen it noted that managers sometimes give a stack of resumes to administrative assistants to ‘screen’, but with less awareness of the actual qualifications for the position, spelling and grammatical errors come to the top of the list as the criteria to screen out a resume.

While I can’t imagine why you would reference a thread like this…

In reply to Does Spelling Effect Hiring Potential?

…I am assuming for the base of this post there was a reason. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, you were applying for a support job and wanted to reference some threads where you had helped a user solve a particular problem… If you had referenced it during any part of the hiring process, and I was the one checking it (yes, I ALWAYS check everything anyone references), and it was filled with grammar/spelling, it would definitely count against you. For two reasons: a) a job worth doing is worth doing right, and that includes attention to detail even in casual or informal posts, and b) if you referenced it during the hiring process, you must consider it a referenceable piece of work, meaning that YOU think it accurately displays something you can be proud of and some of your best work. Spelling counts.

Now, if the question had been you were applying for a job and the hiring manager had “googled” you and discovered some of your postings on an on-line forum, does spelling count? Again, while you should make an effort to put your best foot forward on any professional forum, it counts LESS because you have not provided the link as an example of your work, it was through another channel that the potential employer found it.

Poor Example

In reply to While I can’t imagine why you would reference a thread like this…

You’re right, referencing a thread might be a stretch. I was trying to contrive an example to see if poor writing affects 🙂 your impression of someone. So far, the responses seem to show it does, but the example I used was poor.

However, I’ve read postings in ExpertsExchange that would definitely give a candidate the edge if referenced. Why wouldn’t a million points in, say, the SQL forum be equal to or better than a certification?

Spelling Affects Hiring Potential

In reply to Does Spelling Effect Hiring Potential?

You should have grammar checked your title before you posted. You should have used “affect” instead of “effect.”

Affect vs Effect

In reply to Spelling Affects Hiring Potential

I must admit this one always gets me and I neglected to check it.

affect: have an effect upon
effect: cause to happen or occur

I usually substitute the definition and try to decide which one fits better:

affect: Does spelling have an effect upon hiring potential?

effect: Does spelling cause to happen hiring potential?

You’re right, I should have used affect.

I was really just making an example of myself…yeah, that’s the ticket! 😉

Affect: verb, effect: noun

In reply to Affect vs Effect

Some similar sounding words are easy to confuse such as affect vs. effect. I really cringe, though, when I see people use then when they mean than, or when they use there when they mean their or they’re. Although there is plenty of room for improvement in American schools they were no better when I was a young student. I think that this lack of interest in spelling and grammar is part of a larger problem with our culture. People seem to think that it is shameful to do a good job or to make the effort to do something correctly. American culture seems to glorify the slackers and cheats while demeaning ideas like honor, integrity, and pride in one’s work.

effect can also be a verb, and…

In reply to Affect: verb, effect: noun

not to nit-pick the point to death, but effect can act as a verb, and affect can act as a noun.

Show us an example

In reply to effect can also be a verb, and…

I can’t think of an example where effect is a verb or affect is a noun. If they can be used in such ways, show us. I’m just curious because I can’t think of any.

Examples

In reply to Show us an example

The use of “affect” as a noun is primarily found in medical and psychology documents, as in:

The patient had a flat affect.
(“the conscious subjective aspect of an emotion considered apart from bodily changes.”)

The company effected the changes suggested by its employees.
Main Entry: effect
Function: transitive verb
1 : to cause to come into being
2 a : to bring about often by surmounting obstacles : ACCOMPLISH b : to put into operation synonym see PERFORM

From Merriam-Webster (m-w.com)

Sure that’s a noun?

In reply to Examples

From what I read into the first example, it is used as verb, not a noun.

when you look at the way you have described ‘affect’ it is a verb. I would say patient is the only noun, flat is an adverb and affect is the verb.

Here’s more: http://www.jimloy.com/language/affect.htm

Yes, that is a noun for sure

In reply to Examples

When “affect” is used as a noun the accent falls on the first syllable: AF-fect. You’ll often hear the word used this way among psychiatrists and psychologists. It is admittedly very uncommon among laymen.

You diagrammed the sentence wrong. “Had” is the verb. “Flat” is an adjective that modifies the noun “affect,” which is the direct object of the verb.

Who would reference a forum?

In reply to Does Spelling Effect Hiring Potential?

I don’t kow why anyoe would reference and inernet forum to show ability. Personally I give VERY little thought to typig here, my spekking is OKAY, I just can’t type. This IBM keyboard also act like an old typewriter, you have to POUND the keys out or you miss E’s N’s ad R’s.

But either way, i would never think of using this forum as a reference of ability.

Affect!

In reply to Does Spelling Effect Hiring Potential?

It shore do! Egg space Ellie if it chain jazz demeaning!
(lol)
Maureen

LOL

In reply to Affect!

😀

Affect vs Effect – My $0.02 Worth

In reply to Affect!

Here’s how I decide which to use:

Affect – the act of affecting (a verb; “My actions today affected a change in everyone’s attitude”).

Effect – the result of an action being taken (a noun; “My actions today resulted in a negative effect on everyone’s attitude”.).

Nitpick here, sorry

In reply to Affect vs Effect – My $0.02 Worth

“Here’s how I decide which to use:

Affect – the act of affecting (a verb; “My actions today affected a change in everyone’s attitude”).

Effect – the result of an action being taken (a noun; “My actions today resulted in a negative effect on everyone’s attitude”.).”

Sorry tspace, but I’m pretty sure that the first example you used is technically incorrect (a verb; “My actions today affected a change in everyone’s attitude”). Using it this way means that you affected a change which already existed, not that your actions caused a change in everyone’s attitude. This should read “My actions today EFFECTED a change in everyone’s attitude”, meaning to cause a change in everyone’s attitude. The proper way to use “affect” in this sentence would be “My actions today affected everyone’s attitude”.

Or maybe I’m wrong and I just suck.

No

In reply to Nitpick here, sorry

You effected your affect.

Um…

In reply to No

Sorry santeewelding, but I think you affected your effect.

Nitpick Accepted; But….

In reply to Nitpick here, sorry

Your nippick is in order I believe. My 1st example was not quite what I intended; but given your correction I believe my approach to the affect vs. effect question results in a correct use of these words 99.99999% of the time for me. So I’m content with this. Thanks for your input!

It’s very important to me

In reply to Does Spelling Effect Hiring Potential?

I have absolutely no patience with people who can’t be bothered to master their native language. In the Internet Era, that most emphatically includes written language. To me it demonstrates an attitude of complete indifference to anything in the person’s life that is not directly related to their immediate needs and goals. I want people who have a more expansive view of life, who realize that everything they do is an audition and everything they write is in their portfolio.

Yes, of course I don’t expect people to proofread and polish a BBS posting as if it were a thesis; that’s just good time management, something I also value highly. But if you just naturally make a lot of typos, it shows that you have not mastered the most important tool in today’s workplace: a workstation keyboard. In what other basic, job-related skills are you also weak?

If your grammar is full of errors, that’s even worse. People who can’t write proper English generally can’t speak it either. Of course I cut a lot of slack for non-native speakers, but I also expect them to strive mightily for continuous improvement.

As for BBS postings, I agree that few of us write anything here on TR that we’d reference in a resume. But I have posted short treatises on other BBSs that are very much job-related, and I have been known to attach a few of them to a resume to illustrate the way I think and the way I write.

Sure, I’m in a minority. Every day I hear some university graduate say “lay down” instead of “lie down.” Many of them have become managers and have pretty low standards. But why take the chance of having me trash your resume because I found myself automatically reaching for a blue pencil? I’m only one person out of hundreds of thousands, but that doesn’t mean that some day I won’t be the one who has the job you need. Don’t limit your opportunities.

Ditto That

In reply to It’s very important to me

An old boss of mine would always misspell/misuse certain words in his emails and it always embarrassed me. He seemed to be confused about using to/too/two and a/an. It drove me crazy. This same confusion showed up in his meetings when he spoke. On the other hand, he was an excellent manager and he probably considered grammar to be the lesser part of the 80/20 rule. He is very successful even today (we keep in contact), but I wonder if more attention to grammar would make him even more of a success.

I realize postings should be considered “informal” but I always wonder about the true nature of someone who doesn’t care enough to at least re-read their post once. First impressions can be hard to shake, even if made in a forum such as this.

To put it yet another way, if I were a judge of Olympic forum posting, I would give a half-point deduction if reading a posting made my eyes hurt. 🙂

Unless applying for a job as an anus

In reply to It’s very important to me

I would never refer to a BBS posting as you said but then again, if I were applying for a job as an anus, I could point out a few threads where I have done quite well ! 😀

Why would anyone reference these (or any other) posts?

In reply to Does Spelling Effect Hiring Potential?

First of all, I wouldn’t reference these posts to any potential employer, as they are not official and legal proof of anything. Some people like to use them, and it’s fine as long as the post is relevant to the job they’re pursuing.

To answer your question, spelling does play a significant part when I consider someone for employment. Spelling is a direct representation of a person’s education, attention to detail, and communication skills. Minor errors in grammar and spelling (provided they are also rare) do not affect my decisions because I also make them every once in a while. I am not perfect, and I do not expect perfection from others. I do, however, expect to see absolutely no emoticons, smileys, and/or avatars on any posts I’m referred to.

Time for a new resume

In reply to Why would anyone reference these (or any other) posts?

I used to place the company logos beside the employer names because it was original and colorful. But I was thinking a new resume should include emoticons, it should have many acronyms throughout in true IT style or just to confuse potential employers. And most definitely over exaggerated !!!!!?????? With a few LOL’s and ROTFLMAO’s perhaps a WTF when referring to resons for leaving etc.

IT resume’s of the future could be interesting to say the least.

But to send an employer to a website, other than a personal portfolio?eeeeeeeewwwwww! :p

Logos are no-nos

In reply to Time for a new resume

If you print a company logo on your resume, you are using their trademarked image as a way of enhancing the appeal of your services. In other words, you’re violating the copyright laws.

I haven’t heard of anyone being prosecuted for this… yet. But we live in a nation with a slight excess of attorneys, so you can bet it’s going to happen.

If I got a resume like that, the first and last thing that would cross through my mind is: “Eek! This guy has absolutely no sense of judgement! I don’t even want him to set foot in my building.”

You shouldn’t have to be a lawyer to realize that was wrong. Shame on you. That was a REALLY big booboo.

You shouldn’t have to be a lawyer to realize that was completely LEGAL

In reply to Logos are no-nos

First of all, using a company logo does not have anything to do with copyright laws, logos are registered trademarks, not copy.

[b][u]From the BC law library[/u][/b]

“A trade name is the name under which you carry on your business. It can be the legal name of your corporation, your partnership or your sole proprietorship. A trademark is a word, symbol, design or combination of these that is used to distinguish your wares or services from those of others in the marketplace. A trade name can be registered as a trademark, but only if it is being used as a trademark. And contrary to common perception, registration of a trade name does not protect the name. Only registration as a trademark can effectively do so.”

Secondly, in order for a REGISTERED trademark to be infringed upon, a judge will look at at the following:
-The strength of the plaintiff’s mark;
-Any evidence of actual confusion by consumers;
-The intent of the defendant in adopting its mark;
-The physical proximity of the goods in the retail marketplace;
-The degree of care likely to be exercised by the consumer; and
-The likelihood of expansion of the product lines.

Using trademark on a resume does not infringe on ANY of these trademark protections.

I am in Canada, my brother is a corporate attorney that reresents some of North America’s largest companies, mainly for copyright and registered trade mark infringement. When I was teaching a job club this is something he showed me to enhance resumes. It is in NO way an infringemet of trademark laws, if so, even including the company name on a resume would be considered slanderous and resumes would be deemed illegal (I know it’s absurd, that’s the whole point).

If the logo is used to promote your own services as that of the logo owner, then yes it is infringement. As a refernce to a company you have worked with it isn’t.

Here’s an example as I work in the music industry I run into this issue ALL THE TIME, in fact it must be the number one legal complaint of ALL bands.

AC/DC is a registered trademark. In 1973, this was only registered in Australia and the band was only marketing in Australia. At that point, if I wanted to name MY band AC/DC and I was in America and selling my material in America, I could use the name AC/DC and register it as a North American trademark (if the logo was not identical)without the Australian AC/DC being able to do anything about it.

One trick in the music industry, is to take a young band and without even registering thier name or trademark, getting distributors all over the world to sell a few copies of the CD. Once your material is being sold globally, you have global protctio of the name, whether registered as a trademark or not. Then by the time the band is big enough to TM thier logo and mass market globally, your name is already protected and you can get registration all over the world. if another band pops up and says that they use the name already, the judge reviews WHERE the music is sold and which band is selling it, if one party shows that he has the global presence and his name was known and being marketed locally first, then the judge rules for that party.

I just had a situation with a young band in Sweden on the exact same issue, while they had been IN Sweden, thier sales were non existent, so they had no case of trademark infringement and hae been ordered to change thier name.

Many people confuse copyrights with trademarks though, it is common and probably the second time I have seen it on TR in the last two months.

In short, it is completely legal to use a company logo on a resume. if a potential employer suggested it wasn’t, I would think (to paraphrase you) ‘Eek! This company has absolutely no sense of judgement! I don’t even want to work for them.’

You shouldn’t have to be a lawyer to realize that was completely legal. Shame on you. That was a REALLY big booboo.
I have found it EXTREMELY effective on resumes.

Thanks

In reply to You shouldn’t have to be a lawyer to realize that was completely LEGAL

I have been misinformed. I appreciate the correction.

Not to soud snotty

In reply to Thanks

sorry I really didn’t mean to soud snotty in my closig comments, but I just threw some of your mud back your way.

No offense I hope, as I said it is REALLY common for copyrights and trademark infringment to be confused.

In a single word

In reply to Does Spelling Effect Hiring Potential?

.
Yes.

to oz RE: Affect

In reply to Does Spelling Effect Hiring Potential?

You need to stick to music or politics or anuses or whatever it is you do for a living, and quit guessing when you don’t know the facts. If you read the post about affect/effect carefully, you’ll see that I specified that the use of “affect” as a noun is primarily used in medical and psychological text books. That is pretty much the only context in which affect is used as a noun. The link you supplied was written by someone who doesn’t know quite as much about affect and effect as he or she thinks.

I have for years transcribed medical history and physical examinations and discharge summaries, and that use of “affect” is quite common. You, certainly would never display a flat affect, though you do adversely affect the disposition of people in these discussions, no doubt the effect you’re hoping to achieve.

so witty squire

In reply to to oz RE: Affect

Well the post had me unsure so I looked up the VERY first returned hit on the search and the information provided was taken directly from Websters, as the page explains. Therefore you should contact Websters to correct them.

My point is that even in the use you described in medical books, it seems to show it as a verb and not a noun. I am not saying the wording is incorrect, but it dos not show itself as a noun, unless some ‘virtual noun’ is derived from a collective comment. I don’t see any part of the sentence structure that indicates otherwise. It is a word that describes action or reaction of the patient, (NOUN). FLAT affect implies FLAT (action reaction)by the patient, but that doesn’t make it a noun.

Maybe in America but not in any country I’ve lived in.

Then again, the USA is globally respected for it’s command of proper English isn’t it?

As far as your attempts at a psychological play on words, despite the fact that I disagree with you, it was a little more intelligent than most flames here. As for what I know, you have no idea what I do or do not know, that was an unqualified comment. It CERTAINLY isn’t politics, as you suggest.

In all fairness though, I’ll check with a copywriter and linguist to get another opinion.

a (indefinite article) flat (adjective) affect (noun)

In reply to so witty squire

Not sure how you can read “a flat affect” and think that “affect” is a verb in that context.

The patient has a flat affect.

The patient = subject
has = verb
a flat affect= object of the verb “has”

Check all the experts you want but really just call a psychiatrist and get yo’self some help with your A.D.D. LOL

yeah whatever

In reply to a (indefinite article) flat (adjective) affect (noun)

so much for trying to offer you some rope.
You have proven your complete inability to reason, about as clever as your English classes were I suppose. If you want to have a flame war, just say so, I have no problem with it and all the time in the world to have a go.

just admit it – you were wrong

In reply to yeah whatever

just like DC Guy did about the logos…

No flame war here Charlie. I posted a simple addition to this thread and you pounced on it like it was your last meal. But wait! Your facts were incorrect. “Affect” is both a noun and a verb, depending on the context. I make a little joke about A.D.D. and you get your panties in a wad.

Mister Big Bad I know Everything and Post on Everything and Flame on Everybody isn’t such a snotty pants when he is proven WRONG.

Funny

In reply to just admit it – you were wrong

You keep offering these white flag responses andthen destroy your intent with the flames, actually that probably IS your intent.

But no, i haven’t found anyone else who sees your example as it beig a noun. One person suggested a compound verb, but his knowledge of grammar is miles above my own so I left it there.

But nobody has agreed that it is a noun in the case used, sorry. I can concede to being wrong when proven wrong, but not when someone tells me I’m wrong because they believe they or thier educational istitute is correct.

Funny, I didn’t bother to call you any names in return though. ADD had nothing to do with anything said, it had no place in the flame.

Perhaps YOU can explain how attention deficit disorder would be a possible reason for not taking your word for it? Is it perhaps that I am bored or something, or are you suggesting I wsn’t paying anough attention to you?

because you don’t read

In reply to Funny

You have never worked in the medical field. I have. You failed to read the original post all the way through – you went straight to attack mode. Thus the ref to ADD.

As for name calling, well you’re just a big Canadian Bacon head! Take that you big bully.

Still quite assumptive aren’t you?

In reply to Funny

NO I haven’t worked directly for a hospital.
Yes I have worked in the medical FIELD.

I have an industrial first aid ticket and have taught first aid for quite a few years on and off for various organizations, companies etc. as asked.

Not to mention MONTHS in various hospitals in my youth wiht a spinal disease and as an adult after being put in a coma after a car accident.

But the field the word is used in is not the issue, the sentence you are referring to (from the medical field) is what I have commented on.

I DID read your post and your noting that you use this when writing medical texts, no ADD sorry, perhaps a little boredom with such a non-issue that you ave tried to make into a completely irrelevant point but not ADD, in fact quite the opposite. I have excellent attention and comprehension skills, but I thank you for the kind words.

Not to worry though, I have been tagged with almost every psychological disease you can think of (it’s an easy flame, as weak as it is),at least you know what you are referring to, most people throw around these things but have no idea what they are referring to. 😀

Cheers,
OM

Actually, I’m still waiting

In reply to Funny

for an explanation of why ADD is funny?

Here is my two cents: medical terminology is pretty much the only place you will find it used as a noun, but in the example given it was not used as a noun. I found a better one:

The emotional complex associated with an idea or mental state.

“In hysteria, the affect is sometimes entirely
dissociated, sometimes transferred to another than the original idea.”

Alternately, look at Norman Mailer for guidance in the following sentence:

?The soldiers seen on television had been carefully chosen for blandness of affect? (Norman Mailer).

which my dictionary cites as a noun when referencing
Feeling or emotion, especially as manifested by facial expression or body language

ADD isn’t funny

In reply to Funny

I certainly never said or even implied it was, yuo need to stop taking comments out of context, probably why you see your noun everywhere.

Anyhow, buy a new dictionary. You are not making apoint, you are not proving anything especially to me. In the last two example given, affect can still be clearly seen as a verb, you can cal it a hippo if you like it makes NO difference to me whatsoever.

so once again, I say good day.

Now Oz….

In reply to Funny

I never said that YOU said ADD was funny. I think your friend here needs to be more careful about what he finds funny.

And check again. Especially in Norman Mailer’s example, substitute the word “emotion” for “affect” and you will get the sentence meaning the same thing.

Emotion is certainly a noun, isn’t it?

Maye that’s where we disagree

In reply to Funny

Yes I think your example shows a noun.

I think the medical example shows a word used as a collective for several verbs as described in his definition.

But this is such a non issue anyway, I am just NOT interested, it proves nothing no matter WHO is right or wrong. It has no bearing on an outcome and no conclusion to be reached. Just a complete waste of my time if not yours too.

Take it easy, have a great weekend.

Eye Dont think soo

In reply to Does Spelling Effect Hiring Potential?

cood just bee me butt eye dont think it does.

😉

Summary

In reply to Does Spelling Effect Hiring Potential?

I’ve enjoyed the posts on this thread. Here’s what I’ve learned from them:

1) My own grammar needs a lot of work.
1) People DO care about spelling and grammar, some more so than others.
2) I’m actually bothered more by poor usage (grammar) than I am about poor spelling.
3) A few typos here and there are to be excused but consistently poor usage bothers many.
4) Nearly every topic will involve at least two pedantic participants, with one always being right, and the other always being more right.
5) Flames are always entertaining, even if we’re just laughing at the flamer.

Not the greatest…

In reply to Summary

I don’t know the things I do or say that great, oops, I mean GRATE on people’s nerves. I am sure that for everything that rubs me the wrong way, other people find something wrong with something I do. I don’t mind the occasional mistakes we all make. Typos are typos, mistakes (finger errors) that someone doesn’t realize they made. They hit the wrong key. No biggie. When someone repeatedly uses words incorrectly or can’t understand simple rules (like to/too/two) they should be slapped! I work in the government, and some of the highest paid people will NOT write their own memos for fear of being discovered as under edjamacated. And the brave ones who do try, well, it can be fun to figure out what they really did mean…

“…processing the forms. So for all intense purposes, they will be considered as…”

I think everyone agrees that perfection is unnecessary, resumes and cover letters should be polished, and internet posts don’t have to be perfect. But in the office, constantly trying to figure out what a person MEANT to say (while sometimes entertaining) is entirely too much work. While it is obvious that some people have been promoted far beyond their abilities, much good could still come from the situation. Maybe it would be worthwhile to study the survival skills of such people.

followup for mlayton and oz

In reply to Does Spelling Effect Hiring Potential?

>ADD is funny< It was a joke at Ozmedia's expense, he who jumped to question whether "affect" can be used as a noun without, imo, reading the full post. Hence his attention deficit disorder was to blame for him not understanding. Your quotes are great -- they illustrate use of "affect" as a noun quite well. But your comment about my example is poppycock. In my example it (affect) is a noun in exactly the same way it is in the examples you cite. Every single day, doctors and social workers dictate, as part of psychological evaluations, the status of the patient's affect, and they say things like, "The patient's affect was flat" or "The patient had a bright affect" or the like. It's commonplace usage in medicine. I know, because I typed the medical records. Just like "format" in I/S. For us, it's both a verb (format a drive) and a noun (the document's format). Some people who aren't in I/S have a hard time thinking of "format" as a verb. They think of it as a noun - the radio station's format is classic rock, the format for the competition is two-losses-and-out. Format as a verb is as foreign to some as the notion of affect as a noun. And Oz, this discussion DOES prove something - it proves you don't know a noun from a verb. Maybe if the discussion were about sharps, flats, and quarter-tones, your vast knowledge of music could impress. As far as English grammar, you missed the boat on this one, chum.

Absolutely, it should

In reply to Does Spelling Effect Hiring Potential?

All employees must be able to communicate. Someone who can’t spell can’t communicate effectively, and others may infer that the employee’s manager or department is pretty hard up to hire that employee.
A typo is one thing, but consistent misspelling of words signals sloppiness. After all, spellcheck is available to all. And even though spellcheck may not catch the inaccurate use of effect instead of affect, as was done in the title, it will catch many other errors.

How about the title?

In reply to Does Spelling Effect Hiring Potential?

Did you mean “effect” or “affect” in the title of your post?
Spellcheckers may not pick up on semantics.

Yes, absolutely.

In reply to Does Spelling Effect Hiring Potential?

A resume is like a final term paper or a final business proposal. If a person cannot take the time to make sure it is well written then how are they going to handle less critical communications?

There is NO EXCUSE for poor grammar or spelling on a document that you have had the opportunity to thoroughly proof read and even share with your peers for their input.

When a person submits a resume with poor spelling or grammar it is NOT a “typo”. It is an exact representation of their inability to communicate properly.

I have had to go through mountains of resumes and I immediately trash one if there are any spelling or grammar errors.

What if all of our teachers graded our papers assuming that our mistakes were just “typos”? Where would we be then?

Interviewees: If you want a job in a communication-oriented field like IT please take your time on your resume, share it with your friends/family and, most importantly, triple check everything before sending it!

Interviewers: Stop hiring people who cannot properly utilize the English language!!! I know who you are…Verizon …Comcast…Dell…

If I were hiring…

In reply to Does Spelling Effect Hiring Potential?

and you couldn’t spell, you wouldn’t get the job. That’s my definitive answer to that question.

Effect/Affect

In reply to Does Spelling Effect Hiring Potential?

Forget spell-check! It lulls us into complacency – as in this mistake.

I don’t think it does

In reply to Does Spelling Effect Hiring Potential?

My current boss can’t can’t spell or type for crap. He’s pretty much a country boy who is good at learning computer ideology and is dug in like a tick here at the company.

Microsoft Word is the only reason anything he has to write going out of the company looks half-way proper.

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