We’ve all been told, at one point in our lives, to check our work.  To proofread what we’ve done.  To review our papers, before we hand them in for our grades.  And most of us, don’t.

I was one of those students.  I would usually print it out, give it a quick once-over, and hand it in.  Even if there were mistakes, I would just hope the teacher never caught them.  Only now do I realize the error of my ways.  Although, I should probably give a little background.

I work for a company, which regularly mails out paperwork to clients, government agencies, etc.  I have learned, from early on, that what you send out is a reflection of you, and thus the company, if printed on company letterhead.  If you send out something with horrendous spelling errors, incorrect word usage, or incredibly poor grammar, no one will want to do business with you.  At least, not someone willing to pay top dollar.

Treat your work as if someone was paying millions of dollars for it.  If you don’t care much about the company you work for, then at least care about the image you give yourself.  You won’t get an F if you misspell a lot of words, but you might look like an idiot to your clients or your superiors.  Give that spellcheck a click once in a while.  If you have something finished today, and your boss doesn’t need it until tomorrow, re-read it at least once to pick up any sentence issues.  I’ve had many times where I will type something and in the middle have someone start talking to me.  I am also one of those people who can type without looking at the keyboard.  Usually, these two things are not a problem.  However, on many occasions, I will finish a sentence with whatever I was talking about instead of what I was originally thinking about.

Proofreading may not matter much in school aside from your grade, and even then less so, but in the “real” world, it’s a reflection of you.  Spend a few extra minutes and posh it up, because you don’t know whose eyes will read it.

This is one of those instances where I suggest you check yourself, before you wreck yourself.

Just a bit of unsolicited advice.

Quirkily yours,
The Quirky Digest