HR rejected a designer's résumé over one typo after 20 years of experience. He replied with an old awards-night photo that left them stuttering
The candidate was surprised that the company overlooked their experience because of typos
Who knew a single typo could derail a job opportunity despite 20 years of experience? That's what happened to a candidate who goes by u/slight_ad3888 on Reddit. They shared a screenshot of an email a recruiter sent them, along with their reply. Well, the applicant had been rejected for an interview, all because their résumé had typos. In response, the author stated that the company overlooked a valuable asset like them due to superficial factors. The post, shared on June 23, 2026, has received 1,500 upvotes.
Felt good to be able to clap back with some over-inflated and arbitrary measure of success.
by u/Slight_Ad3888 in recruitinghell
Twenty years vs. one mistake
The recruiter explained in their email that the candidate's interview request had been withdrawn because Spellcheck found errors in their CV. Deflated, the author thanked the recruiter for the feedback but also pointed out, "That's certainly disappointing to hear, especially given that the résumé was otherwise an accurate representation of more than 20 years of experience in design and advertising." Moreover, the applicant acknowledged the importance of attention to detail but was shocked to know that a single typo was enough for the company to cancel the interview.
A close-up of a man working on his laptop. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Photo by Burst)A chance encounter revisited
The second paragraph of the reply email made the exchange even more interesting. The author shared a photo they stumbled upon while researching the company. They wrote, "I realized we were sitting at the same table as your team." The candidate and their partner had won an award for a rebrand they led. Nonetheless, the author congratulated the company on their win and hoped they would see each other again the following year.
No room for error
Humans are prone to error, but it seems like the job market is unforgiving. In fact, a CareerBuilder survey found that 77% of hiring managers disqualify résumés with typos or bad grammar. The survey also revealed that 25% of hiring managers spent less than 30 seconds reading a résumé, while 40% gave up within a minute. Now, the candidate who shared his experience on Reddit thought that typos on his résumé would be forgiven, given his 20 years of experience, but he was rejected, as he shared in his post.
'Bullsh*t excuse to disqualify you'
Meanwhile, people in the comments understood that typos can sometimes make or break a job opportunity. The post, however, received a mixed response from the netizens. For instance, u/Far-Explanation2701 commented, "Unpopular opinion, but you’re in design and advertising with typos on a document that you are essentially using to advertise your skills. Take it as welcome feedback and look at it as this is likely not a company you want to work for, but also take some freaking responsibility too." u/trustnosquirrel said, "I understand if they don’t invite you for the interview in the first place, but to disqualify after the invitation for a typo is wild."
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