In light of my recent posts regarding my own search for The Job at The Company with The Boss (that was a bit much wasn't it?), I have been thinking about some of the cringe worthy things that candidates can often do which shoot them in the foot and see them sent a nice standard rejection letter.
Before you apply:
- Is your email appropriate? naughtynurse@.... or sexyboi232@... don't really scream professional. A simple first name last name email address will do just fine and won't have the recruitment team cackling with laughter when they see your application
- Check your resume - it's fundamental that your resume doesn't have spelling mistakes, 'attention to detael' being a common culprit. Also, have a look at your formatting - word art, photos and 5 different types of bullet points are distracting and take away from the content. My professional writing professor drilled in to me how important 'white space' is and I always have a look at something in print preview to see that the format is consistent the whole way through and looks good
- Resume again - you don't need to include your date of birth, marital status, nationality, or number of children, it's not relevant
- Cover letter - when culling applications cover letter becomes important. If you're applying for a position as a cleaner then the format won't be as important but if you're applying for a position as an Executive Assistant you will need to be able to draft a professional letter, addressing the correct person and the company. There are heaps of examples online to give you assistance
- Get the company right - I've had that moment of dread when you realise you've sent the wrong cover letter to a company, double check all your details and attachments before sending
- Finally, if there is someone listed on the advertisement to call by all means do it. If you call and ask some well considered questions you will be remembered and when your application comes in may have more of a chance
After applying:
- Acknowledgement - If you've received an email acknowledging your application it's not necessary to call and check it has been received
- Don't stalk - calling, emailing and stalking the person responsible for recruitment will not get your application considered faster, it will be a turn off
- Do not yell at the recruiting manager - pretty obvious right? Unfortunately not, I've had this happen and seen it happen a number of times
- Think about what you're saying, I recently had a phone call from someone who said, 'I called and spoke to someone with an accent a couple of weeks ago, you've got so many people with accents there I couldn't tell you what kind of accent it was'. What the? I was lost for words momentarily while I digested that one...
At interview:
- Nerves - The people interviewing you will know that you're nervous and will try and help you relax, you need to be able to calm yourself down too though
- Don't be racist, sexist, chauvinistic, rude, etc etc, you get the point
- Don't bag out your current company. Try to be diplomatic, if it can't be avoided have the ability to explain why it was that way, but don't be outright angry about it
- Talk to everyone - Don't only direct your responses to the person you think has the power, make eye contact with everyone on the panel. You might be wrong about who has the power
- Clarify - It's OK to clarify if you answered a question fully, but don't ask on the spot, 'Did I do well? Did you like me?', desperation can be off putting and if you didn't do well it puts the interviewers in a rather awkward position
- Ask questions - think over your questions prior to interview, make sure you have a few in case some are answered through the interview process
After interview:
- Thank you - If you have contact details for the people you interviewed with send a thank you note/email and reiterate your interest in the position
- Don't stalk - if you were told a definite time frame for when they would get back to you and it has passed a phone call or email may be appropriate. But don't over do it
Do you agree or is there anything I missed?
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