Talent Market

Talent Market is a nonprofit whose mission is to promote liberty by providing talent for critical roles within the free-market nonprofit sector

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Talent Tip #37: Mom Knows Best: Proofreed Proofread

September 18, 2012

My mother was an English teacher. Growing up in our house involved lots of mini-grammar lessons, Oxford commas, and endless streams of red ink on papers. It might sound torturous for a kid, but even then I realized how valuable the guidance was.

This is probably why I cringe when I receive a cover letter or résumé with an error. Or two. Or three.

The errors that could have been avoided by using Spell-Check are the ones that drive me to drink. Is it possible there are computers on earth not equipped with this handy-dandy feature? Surely not. So if a person has Spell-Check but isn’t using it, what’s the major malfunction?

Other mistakes result from being careless and failing to proofread. And those, my friends, will make you cry….and laugh. Some of my recent favorites:

  • “I would like to help advance free-market principals.”
  • “I have written on many other topics including defense, taxes, energy, and many other topics.”
  • “I am confident I will be a great asses to the organization.”

You get the idea. Laughter and tears aside, a sloppy cover letter or résumé can cost you a job. If I had a dime for every time a client told me he liked a candidate’s background but wouldn’t be pursuing him because the résumé/cover letter had mistakes in it, I’d have enough money to buy everyone in the free-market movement Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style.

Remember that Mom knows best: make sure to proofread the next thing you send into the public sphere.

Footnote: To this day, when my mother hears me tell my dog to “lay down,” she corrects me. “It’s lie down, honey.” Right, yes, I know that. Too bad my dog doesn’t.

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About Us

Claire Kittle Dixon

Claire Kittle Dixon
Executive Director
Claire has more than a decade of experience in the talent development field. She…
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Katelynn Barbosa
Director of Talent Engagement
Katelynn started her career in the Koch Associate Program and then litigated at the Institute for Justice…
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Katy Gambella
Director of Network Engagement
Katy began her career at the Institute for Humane Studies and later joined the Cato Institute…
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Stephanie Keaveney
Network Engagement Manager
Stephanie’s career started at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal…
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Lydia Ocampo
Network Engagement Specialist
Lydia started her career with Young Americans for Liberty. During her time with YAL…
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Wait, You’re a Nonprofit?

Talent Market is a nonprofit. We’ll wait here while that sinks in. We know it’s a crazy concept, but it’s been working like a charm since 2009.

Talent Market’s mission is to promote liberty by providing talent for critical roles within the free-market nonprofit sector.

We provide free consulting and recruiting services to free-market think tanks, policy organizations, research centers, and capacity building institutions dedicated to advancing the principles of limited government and free enterprise. (We do not work in politics, nor do we work with organizations that address social issues.) Talent Market believes that the road to prosperity is paved with freedom and that the success of our movement hinges on the talent that will take us there.

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