Don't doom your resume and cover letter to the trashcan by sending them out with dumb mistakes such as misspelled words.

"If you make errors on your application materials, the assumption is you'll make mistakes on the job," says Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of 'Job Hunting for Dummies, 2nd edition'."

Three-fourths of the executives surveyed by Accountemps declared just one or two typos in a resume kills an application. Four out of ten declare that one typo means the axe.

Incomplete sentences or missing words can also kill your chances for getting even a cursory review of your resume, to say nothing of serious consideration.

There's no excuse for such errors. You can avoid them by taking these steps:

1. Run your documents through the spell-check on your computer. (Keep in mind this is not fool-proof. Your computer is not going to know whether your mean there or their.)

2. Avoid cliches and catch phrases that may be popular for the moment.

3. Read your covering letter and resume aloud. Track word for word with a pencil. This is the time to check your punctuation.

4. Set your materials aside for at least 24 hours. Go back and repeat steps 1, 2 and 3.

5. Have a third party read your materials for context, as well as the type of errors we are considering here. Get their opinion as to whether your presentation makes a logical case for your application.

Of course, it is best that this third party be a professional career coach, but that may not be possible. Any review by another pair of eyes is better than no review at all.

As a final step, take an objective look at your materials. Are you using quality paper for the printed versions? (No colored stock.) Is the typeface a standard one? Are you sending your application to a real live person with a title? Are your contact points correct and readily available?

It's difficult enough to get your covering letter and resume seriously considered without making dumb killer mistakes.

I wish you career success!