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When applying for a job, make sure you read the application carefully so that you provide exactly what the company is asking for. And once you've filled out your application, give it a thorough check before you send it in. Otherwise, you could end up making costly mistakes that will spell certain doom for any chance you may have had of getting invited in for an interview, namely common mistakes such as these:

Grammatical Errors and Typos

If your application has misspellings, typos, or improper grammar, it's going to look pretty shabby next to a polished, thoroughly proofread application. You certainly don't want to give a prospective employer any reasons to doubt your communication skills, education, or typing prowess, so before you send it out, have a trusted pair of eyes give it a good grammar scrub. And no matter how skilled of a proofreader you are, it always helps to have someone else check over your work. They might catch errors that your eyes completely glossed over.

Miscategorized Data

The employer is probably interested in your educational background, but not if it's entered under the Work Experience section. Don't try to race through an application, or you might wind up entering information in the wrong section. Then how can you claim "attention to detail" as one of your strengths?

Focus on each section of the application one at a time. Make sure you read all the way through the instructions and provide exactly what the company is asking for. No matter how qualified you are, there's a chance that the prospective employer reviewing the applications will automatically toss out from consideration any applicants who can't follow simple, straightforward directions.

"Canned" Responses

It's best to try to incorporate some information that is specific to the particular company where you are applying. That shows them that you have taken the time to research a little about them, which in turns shows that you actually take an active interest in the company, and you genuinely want the job. A good place to showcase your knowledge and enthusiasm about the company and position (besides your cover letter and the Objective line of your resume) is in open-ended response questions.

If you're asked to provide a couple of sentences about your previous work history, try to play up any experience you may have with that industry or any projects you've done that might relate to the description of the job you're applying for.

Bear these common pitfalls in mind, and you may find yourself rising toward the top of the heap! Otherwise, we all know where the doomed applications and resumes end up...

Learn more about this author, M. Sparga.
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