Don't let a typo ruin your Hollywood career

For obvious reasons, it's very important that you proofread your resume and avoid common grammatical errors. But a resume isn't the only document that will determine your career trajectory. Especially in Hollywood, where content is distributed widely, you need to proofread EVERYTHING you write. Emails, social media, pitch documents...everything. In a business as small as ours, people tend to hire people they know or by referral. When you send an email to your boss’s client that’s littered with typos or other errors, not only do you make your company look bad, you also take yourself out of the running when that client needs a new assistant.

Even when you’re not at work, you should be mindful of seemingly insignificant errors. Your social media profiles are accessible to almost anyone looking to hire you, and if the first thing a hiring manager sees is “there” instead of “their,” you’re done, no matter how “detail-oriented” your cover letter claims you are. Be particularly careful when using tracking boards or professional Facebook groups -- typos in those forums are akin to showing up hammered at a networking event. Double checking your work is worth the extra time -- it's a great way to stand out in the crowd.

---

--Angela Silak & Cindy Kaplan