Ask Victoria | I Hit "Send" By Mistake, Now What?!

Hi Victoria,

I applied to a job on my cell phone and before completing the cover letter my finger accidentally brushed over the send box. It was submitted full of ridiculous cell phone generated typos. Should I reapply?

Thanks,

Germaine

Hi there Germaine,

Sometimes it can really seem like the more tech-focused the world becomes, the more snafus we have with these types of errors!

Last summer, we had a discussion on Idealist Careers that touched upon the topic of reapplying when you notice an error in your application. In addition to whether you should apply, identify whether you even can reapply (I outlined this to a previous Ask Victoria querent here.) If you applied via an online recruiting system, you may not be able to apply for the same job twice, at least not with the same job seeker account. If you receive an on-screen message such as “you have already applied for this job”, the system will not allow you to go further. If that’s the case, you decide whether you want to set up a new account, with a separate email address, in order to reapply for the job.

However, if the application process simply requires you to send your resume and cover letter via email, you can certainly try to send yours again. Explain that you were applying on your phone and inadvertently sent it before you had an opportunity to make sure all your “t”s were crossed and you proofread your autocorrect’s work. It happens. Next time, consider changing the sensitivity settings on your touchscreen, or apply using a device that makes such errors less likely.

To your success,

Victoria