You've searched for months for the telecommuting job of your dreams. You've spent countless hours online hunting down a job. You've had the perfect resume crafted and brushed up on your interview skills. And all of the hard work and preparation has now paid off in the form of the perfect job!

You scanned the job ad and found the contact information, pasted your cover letter and attached your resume. You pause before you push the send button and think "better make sure that I have everything they need", but then that other voice tells you that you HAVE to get this to them ASAP before someone else beats you to the job...so you hit send.

OH NO, you think, you realized that you misspelled the job title in the subject line of the email and you forgot they needed your phone number. But, now it's too late! The email is in internet outer space. Has this ever happened to you? You've become so excited by a job that you've rushed through the very important application process?

I'm sure we've all rushed through something because of our excitement, but in the case of applications you need to curb your excitement.

Yes, you could beat others to the application process, but the applicants who followed all of the directions to a T and spellchecked the email will get the job over you. So when you're looking over a job ad, along with the contact information, always jot down the important details mentioned.

For example if they mention:

Don't attach resume or Do attach resume

Put (job title) in the subject line

Include phone number

Thoughts from an employer

While I anticipated that many under-qualified applications might arrive, I was surprised at the number of people who didn't follow the basic instructions for replying to the ads. For example, I specifically asked that no email attachments be sent and I received quite a few people listing "attention to detail" as one of their skills, but with their resume attached. Once I hired someone, it's been a fairly smooth process. Linda Stacy

Final Thoughts

The job applicant, who slows down, follows the direction precisely, and fixes spelling errors will be the one to land the job.

So the next time your heart is racing over the "perfect job" make sure your brain and fingers SLOW DOWN so that you can pay attention to all the details and feel confident that you've included everything they asked for.

Nell Taliercio

Nell Taliercio is a work at home mom who;s mission it is to help other moms or dads find a way to work at home and raise their children.