Lately, I've received many emails from professionals that contain spelling and grammar errors. I wonder if they just aren't aware of the mistakes, or if they simply don't care.
First of all, let me say that I'm not a grammar expert. I'm always a little bit hesitant to write about grammar for fear that someone will point out all of the grammar errors I have ever made. However, I think this is too important not to share.
A recent study by Grammarly, an online grammar checking program, showed that among the professionals who have online profiles at LinkedIn, the ones who are being paid the most are also the ones who have the fewest grammatical errors.
According to an article at Forbes, there is more than a causal connection between promotions and good grammar usage. Even the Wall Street Journal and a writer at the Harvard Business review agree, with one hiring manager going so far as to state that he won't hire anyone who uses poor grammar.
All of these articles share one major thing in common – the comment sections are filled with extremely heated debates about proper grammar usage. It seems that many people hold very passionate views about grammar. It's no surprise that many people believe that having proper grammar isn't very important and that with the increased use of text messaging and social media, using correct grammar is outdated and irrelevant. Also, many believe that using grammar to assess someone's intelligence or ability to do a job is unfair and needlessly punitive. They argue that many people aren't good at spelling and struggle with grammar skills, but those same people could be extremely qualified and highly intelligent.
Personally, I agree with the hiring manager that claimed he wouldn't hire anyone who used poor grammar – but it's not for the reasons you'd think. While I don't think that someone ought to be taken to task for a misused semicolon or ending a sentence with a preposition, I do think that on a professional networking site, on your resume and cover letter and in any professional correspondence, there is simply no excuse for poor grammar.
Overlooking errors shows a lack of attention to detail. While I don't believe that poor grammar and spelling errors have anything to do with a person's intelligence, it does show a lack of attention.
Your text is the first example of your work. Your social media profiles, your cover letter and resume are often the first (and sometimes only) piece of work that you will ever share with a hiring manager. Knowing that, it's important to make sure that it shows you in your best light. Spelling and grammatical errors will distract from that and can sometimes make you appear to be less intelligent than you really are. I believe the reason that higher-paid professionals have fewer errors on their profiles is that they are aware of this and take great pains to find and eliminate any errors. In fact, many hire professionals to either write or proofread their copy before they put it online.
Poor grammar looks lazy. In this day and age, when most of our written communications happen on a computer, there is really no excuse for frequent spelling and grammar errors. Almost any email program and office software comes with a spelling and grammar checker. If someone is aware that they aren't the best at spelling and often make grammar errors, they can turn to plenty of online programs that will help scan their work to look for common mistakes. Not using them is just lazy, and most hiring managers realize this. They don't want to hire someone who isn't willing to take a few extra minutes (or even an extra hour or two) to make sure their work is perfect. If they aren't willing to do it when they are trying to land a job, they certainly won't do it when they are sending emails to clients or working on important projects.
It's important to use proper grammar and correct spelling. Although many people struggle with written communication, there are many online resources available to help and most of them are free. If you know that spelling is a particular challenge for you, be sure to bookmark them and use them before posting a profile or sending an email.
Do you think there is a correlation between good grammar skills and job success? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
Image Source: MorgueFile
Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.
Register or sign in today!