You Will Be Judged When You Misuse Phrases in the Workplace

My wife shared an article on Facebook recently, and I thought the subject matter would make for a good career and social media reminder.

Believe it or not, I do realize that many of us get a little sloppy when we’re typing things on social media, and make the occasional typo, or even, *gasp*, a grammatical error.

When professional acquaintances read those, I tend to think most of us are pretty forgiving of them. After all, it’s not like you were typing an email or a memo to your boss, or upper management, it was an Instagram or Twitter post for god’s sake.

On the other hand, there are some things that would make me question your ability to work in a professional environment. Because at some point, you’re going to need to communicate in writing. In my line of work, I have to write documentation, communicate with lawyers, clients, outside vendors, and everyone else out there.

And, believe you me, if you don’t know the difference between “peak” and “peek”, or offer to “nip” a problem “in the butt”, they will judge you, harshly.

(Don’t even get me started on “should have/should’ve” versus “should of”.)

Some of the things on this list aren’t easily explained by simple typos or writing too quickly and not being careful, like we all tend to do on social media from time to time. They actually make people question if you know the correct phrases, whether you’re aware of the correct way to speak. Can I trust you  to come across as an educated professional when you’re communicating with my customers, internal or external?

When I look at your public statements on social media, you may be answering that question for me, and not in a positive manner.

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