In honor of this election season, I thought I’d update, repost and reshare my biggest professional screw up. Enjoy!
Twelve years ago, I was a young congressional staffer living in Washington, DC. I had a fabulous English basement apartment on Capitol Hill and I was “going places.”
I loved my job, but always felt like I deserved more responsibility. Until one day, when I wished I had less.
My job back then was to read all of the Congressman’s mail, research the issue, then respond (as the Congressman). Sometimes I’d prepare a letter for an individual and sometimes I’d write a form letter which would go to a number of constituents when a major piece of legislation was before the House of Representatives.
Well, ten years ago there was a lot going on. We were late to pass our appropriations bills and were considering an omnibus (one major budget that would essentially plan for every Federal agency instead of individual bills), and we also had, oh, a MAJOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
My boss wasn’t polling well that year and he eventually lost his reelection. However, we were still employed until the end of the year and we still had legislation to work on…remember that omnibus? But, knowing that we’d soon be losing our jobs, we got a little lackadaisical. In fact, we really lost track of all of our processes and procedures…LIKE PROOF READING.
Before signing hundreds of letters as the Congressman, I’d always have two additional sets of eyes on my letters…except this time. We’d lost, colleagues were bailing ship for new jobs and I’d wanted that extra responsibility, remember?!
So out went a couple hundred of my letters…potentially my last correspondence as the Congressman before I found a new job. As with every mass mailing, every now and again a letter would come back undeliverable, in one case, I opened a letter to see which I’d need to resend. I smugly read through my excellent letter and then noticed that instead of referencing the national ELECTIONS four or five times…
I wrote about the national ERECTIONS.
I was mortified…and still to this day get nervous every time I type the word out.
I was a copywriter for a major newspaper’s marketing department, and I worked with the group that sponsored the local and regional rounds of the national spelling bee. I wrote an ad about the regional bee, which was open to the public. Our situation was similar to yours … late night … press deadline looming … just the graphic designer and I left at the office and no proofreader. By the time I got to the office the following morning, I had several phone calls, most importantly one from the regional bee head honcho. Yes, I’d misspelled the word “Competition” in the headline. Of the SPELLING BEE ad. Grade school teachers all over the region were calling. I feel myself getting red-faced as I type this. What a moment.
Oh you made me laugh! Sorry it was at your expense, but dang, that was funny! Thanks goodness for spell check on the computers now right? I would fail miserable if I had that job.
Stephanie, if she had correctly spelled ‘erections’ then spell check wouldn’t have caught it-which I’m sure is what happened – Oh boy!
Now I will proof read anything and everything lol sometimes I just type my posts and hit ‘publish’ without re-reading (horrible I know!)
OMG, that is too funny! Of course I can say *funny* because it didn’t happen to me. I’m sure you were mortified. Here’s an interesting question. A sort of gauge of how many people even read these things. Did you get any responses? I almost did something like this once. I was about to send out a letter and instead of the word airport, it had something like roachclip. I kid you not. The only thing I could think of was that it was some spell check situation gone terribly bad. I was so glad I caught it before it went out. Of course, now I don’t have some fun blogpost typo story to share. You take the cake on that one, baby!
Oh my! Thanks for a humongous laugh on this slow, foggy morning!!
HA!!! I love this story, JJ!!
I worked for a public agency here in OC as a new grad. And I sent a memo out to the WHOLE company as a “PUBIC AGENCY.” Awesome.
I always forget that we both had Potomac fever. Love it:)
Hahahahaha!!! That is horrifyingly funny. I noticed on Twitter that your mom called you after reading this…definitely made me curious about the story I’d find. Thankfully, I don’t remember anything like this happening to me before.
I am laughing so hard right now (with you…not AT you, of course!!)
Hilarious!
That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day! Awww poor JJ. Seriously awesome.
Hysterical! I just snorted out loud…. oh man! That is a great story!
I’ve always wondered if that has really happened to anyone or if it’s just one of those funny stories magazines and such trot out for a laugh… Apparently it really does. Awesome.
I needed that today! I work for a small non-profit and one of my most dreaded jobs is bulk mailings. It never fails, that no matter how many times we review a letter or a mailing, as soon as we have it off to the post office we find at least one mistake. Just last week I sent out an invitation with the wrong date….I hate mailings!
Classic! This is hilarious!
Sounds like an interesting job, too…
CRACKING UP. Did you get in trouble? Anyone ever say anything to you?
Nope. No one ever said anything!