Typos Matter! Edit your important documents!

I've just finished editing the portfolio of a business professional. Kudos to him for getting all of his writing edited and organized into a portfolio. HOWEVER: I assume that, as most of the portfolio included writing examples like school papers, interdepartmental memos, business letters, reports, etc... he used all of those documents without first getting them edited, which I feel is kind of tragic.

I read somewhere recently that some business execs argue that typos, mistakes in spelling and grammar in corporate text gives an 'organize sense' to a company; proving that it has a human face. I strongly disagree. Anybody who's educated enough to notice the typo is going to have a negative response to it, especially in a professional setting. The more professional, the more shocking it is to see a typo.

This particular business exec made lots and lots of mistakes in spelling, including the damnably easy things like "theirs/there's", "its/it's", "a/an". I can tell from his writing that he's a successful guy; good executive position of a large company, beautiful family, and I can't help wondering how he got so far in life making those spelling errors. Sure they're fine for a rough draft, for instant messaging and maybe even informal emails - but to turn in a college or postgraduate term paper with errors like that is both insulting and embarrassing.

It's hard to find an excuse. Ok, maybe his spelling sucks. Maybe that has never stopped him (he seems to have a strong personality) in getting ahead. Maybe the 'real men' of the business world all can't spell, but just drink whiskey and play golf and make obscene jokes and that's enough. I don't know.

For most people out there, I would strongly urge you to be more careful. Maybe you're not a gifted writer... but at least you can turn in a clean paper.

***side note: I wonder, actually, if I were a teacher, would I prefer the creative, well written but horribly misspelled paper, or the clean, nice, very boring paper. ??***