Judging by the volume of emailed employment enquiries we receive, poorly considered, badly spelt (which my US built spell checker is telling me is spelled incorrectly – another pet hate!) communications are sadly becoming the norm. Here’s an example received today (only the names have been changed to protect the guilty):

hello my name is richard badspeller.
i am from mangatautari.

looking to move down to christchurch soon. and i was
wandering if you had any job opportunities?

i have just finished a degree in media arts majoring in graphic design,
and a bit of illustration.i have attached my portfolio, i work by drawing
all my ideas then scanning them into the computer. all my work in my
portfolio is of finished/final work.

i have not had much experience other than 2 and a half years of studding
i have worked in a signwriters (4-Months) before i started my degree
and i interned at TVMG for 4-weeks.

thank you for your time and consideration. i appreciate it.
richard badspeller

As a graphic designer he should know that first impressions count. Not being able to use the shift key, spell checker or a proof reader severely limits his chances of competing for a job.

Posted on January 11th, 2010 by Wendy Riley-Biddle
Filed under: General