Tech Talk: Getting Started with Chrome Extensions
We've built our share of web apps at HubSpot. Web apps are awesome. They provide users with an accessible and portable experience through a tool they ...
Related to Dan's post on developer interviews, I wanted to add another tip for developers applying to work at HubSpot (or anywhere else): carefully check the spelling and grammar on your resume, cover letter, and other application materials.
Trivial, you say? So I thought. It seems like every career site, coach, and friend mentions this advice numerous times.
But having reviewed every single engineering resume submitting to HubSpot within the past two years (almost), I'd say at least 75% of them contain some spelling or grammar mistakes.
That's 75% bad, not 75% good ;)
Some developers say that they're not hired for their writing skills. I disagree. Communication skills, including written communication, are important to everyone. In our environment at HubSpot, we don't have long specifications or requirements documents. We rely on a lot of ad-hoc communications, such as emails and comments in our issue tracking system.
What's more important, though, is that in the context of a job application, this kind of mistake shows lack of care. Lack of attention to detail. Maybe you were rushed. Maybe you copy / pasted the contents from elsewhere. Maybe you did spell-check, but as we all know the Microsoft Word checker is not perfect, especially when it comes to grammar or places where multiple words can be used.
Most of the time, we reject those careless applicants right off the bat. It's a waste of everyone's time. So please do yourself a favor, and carefully review your writing. You may find this Guide to Grammar useful -- I know I do.
What do you think? Are we too harsh / strict on this topic?
