Cover letter typo - am I finished? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I made the unfortunate mistake of missing one small typo prior to direct applying for a 2L SA job. I quickly emailed recruiting an updated cover letter with the typo fixed and several other changes I made to strengthen the letter. Am I absolutely screwed, or is there still hope? This job is very important to me.

[Wubbles]

I wouldn't put too many eggs in the basket of getting one specific SA position from a direct app either way so it's really out of your hands and not worth worrying about now. If you don't get it, you probably weren't getting it anyways so don't fuss over it and keep mass mailing

[2013]

You shouldn’t have sent another cover letter. But, like above said, there’s nothing you can do about it.

[inter-associate]

Going forward I suggest not sending corrections. Typos can hurt, but they don’t always get caught, and don’t always hurt you. My resume for 3L OCI had the wrong year for my summer associate job. Got through a screener and to the final callback interviewer before a partner called it out in our interview. Got an offer two weeks later

[Anonymous User]

I had a summer position where my supervisor said they never read cover letters. When asked why, they said "because they always have mistakes." When challenged, he went and got the cover letters for all the summers in the room and proceeded to find errors in each one.

So I'd echo the above. In future, and for anyone else stumbling across this thread, don't send a correction unless it's an egregious mistake. If it's a typo, ignore it, and if it's a small factual error (like an incorrect date), correct it at any interview.

[Anonymous User]

Does the same advice apply to a small mistake in a writing sample?

[Person1111]

Does the same advice apply to a small mistake in a writing sample?

Even more so. I don't even read them.

[BeeTeeZ]

I made the unfortunate mistake of missing one small typo prior to direct applying for a 2L SA job. I quickly emailed recruiting an updated cover letter with the typo fixed and several other changes I made to strengthen the letter. Am I absolutely screwed, or is there still hope? This job is very important to me.

If you're applying for a 2L SA then you must have just started your 1L year. When I was a 1L (2016) we couldn't apply for 2L SA's until December. Did that rule change?

[Best]

I made the unfortunate mistake of missing one small typo prior to direct applying for a 2L SA job. I quickly emailed recruiting an updated cover letter with the typo fixed and several other changes I made to strengthen the letter. Am I absolutely screwed, or is there still hope? This job is very important to me.

If you're applying for a 2L SA then you must have just started your 1L year. When I was a 1L (2016) we couldn't apply for 2L SA's until December. Did that rule change?

Yes, that rule is gone.

[nixy]

So now I’m confused. Summer after 1L is usually called a 1L SA. I assumed the OP is a 2L still looking for something for next summer.

[Anonymous User]

Going forward I suggest not sending corrections. Typos can hurt, but they don’t always get caught, and don’t always hurt you. My resume for 3L OCI had the wrong year for my summer associate job. Got through a screener and to the final callback interviewer before a partner called it out in our interview. Got an offer two weeks later

Hell, at the end of an OCI screener at my T13, an associate pointed out that I had messed up almost all of the dates on my resume somehow, and I still got a CB. Typos are not as major as people make them out to be the vast majority of the time.

[JHP]

Going forward I suggest not sending corrections. Typos can hurt, but they don’t always get caught, and don’t always hurt you. My resume for 3L OCI had the wrong year for my summer associate job. Got through a screener and to the final callback interviewer before a partner called it out in our interview. Got an offer two weeks later

Hell, at the end of an OCI screener at my T13, an associate pointed out that I had messed up almost all of the dates on my resume somehow, and I still got a CB. Typos are not as major as people make them out to be the vast majority of the time.

Yeah they're definitely not fatal.
However, anecdotally, I know attorneys who are particularly aware of mistakes (myself included) and if they do see obvious typos, you will be working uphill winning them over. I'm on the side that if it's something like a missing comma or period, it's not a big deal, but something like at least a couple misspellings or wrong dates would make me think twice about how careful they might be doing their work if they couldn't even make sure their resume was correct.

[BeeTeeZ]

So now I’m confused. Summer after 1L is usually called a 1L SA. I assumed the OP is a 2L still looking for something for next summer.

You must be right, I got the timing confused.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. Thank you for the advice, I really appreciate it. I have an update for you all - I received a screener, which I completed this past Wednesday. I have had no followup from the firm yet. Would it be appropriate to follow up with them on Wednesday? Or should I wait? I am very serious about getting this job and want to ensure I don’t mess anything up.

[QContinuum]

OP here. Thank you for the advice, I really appreciate it. I have an update for you all - I received a screener, which I completed this past Wednesday. I have had no followup from the firm yet. Would it be appropriate to follow up with them on Wednesday? Or should I wait? I am very serious about getting this job and want to ensure I don’t mess anything up.

I would not follow up after a week. If you want, you can follow up after two weeks if you still haven't heard anything.