Sometimes we can't help but depend on the kindness of strangers.

One day this week, right after parking my car in a parking garage, a gentleman who had been driving behind me told me my brake lights were out as we walked toward the exit.

Now that's something I would never have noticed, and it's a critical road safety issue.

I thanked him twice, then made a point to visit my mechanic later in the day.

If I hadn’t had that second set of eyes to notice the problem and alert me, I might have gone on for days, thinking I was driving safely and wondering why all those crazy drivers were almost crashing into me.

As I thought about that, a light bulb (pun absolutely intended) went off in my head about sending your resume without noticing that one little thing that can prevent you from landing an interview. It might be a typo, a grammar error, or some formatting issue (such as non-aligned bullets or one word that's mistakenly in a different font). You may not notice it when you review your resume, but then someone else is kind enough to point it out to you—and you avoid a potential job search disaster.

You need to proofread every square inch of your resume, but it’s important to have someone else proofread it too, whether it's just to check grammar and spelling, or to go deeper and address the content. You don't want even the tiniest of blemishes, such as a misspelling or grammar gaffe, to turn out the lights on a chance at landing a job that's perfect for you.

RELATED LINKS
Quiz: Are You Smarter Than a Spell Checker?
Are You Smarter Than a Spell Checker? Part II
Take it from HR: One Typo Can Kill Your Chances
I Sent My Resume with a Typo! Should I Send a New One?

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