| The end of the year is always good for making lists—about the things you will do and will not do during the upcoming year.
In recapping the past 12 months at Alumni Career Services, and in looking toward 2008, I have put together a list of suggestions of things that job seekers should not do. Upon reviewing this list, you might think that it’s impossible for anyone to be so foolish as to commit some of these obvious blunders, but it isn’t so. (I can, however, attest that individuals in my Alumni Career Services program have been made aware of these pitfalls and would never make these mistakes.)
Okay, here we go. When looking for a job, absolutely do not…
- Insult your former employer. I don’t
care how awful your last boss was, never ever refer to him/her
as an idiot. Speaking poorly about a former employer or company is never
a smart thing to do as your remarks can come full circle to haunt you.
This should be so obvious, yet I hear it talked about fairly frequently
by HR professionals.
- Dress inappropriately for the interview. Yes,
we live in a very casual world but that doesn’t mean you should
dress that way for a job interview. Spruce it up. A man should wear
a two-piece business suit, and a woman should dress conservatively, avoiding ostentatious jewelry and/or strong perfume. And cover up those Angelina Jolie-type tattoos.
Most important, don’t do plunging necklines or mini-skirts. Immodest
dress may attract a few leers, but little else.
- Make a spelling mistake. Is it fair that a typo or a misspelled word in your résumé or cover letter
jeopardize your chances of getting hired? Perhaps not, but, as we all know, life isn't fair. Accuracy counts,
and with a horde of applicants for each position, an organization might
well toss your imperfect application into the discard pile.
- Fail to create a high-impact job search. When you
search for jobs that only meet your exact criteria, you limit the search.
Remember, you won’t know what the job entails until you interview
for it. Instead, search for the kind of company or organization where
you would like to work and then target your search.
- Seem confused when a potential employer screens by phone.
Most companies screen initially by phone to determine which applicant (s) will proceed
to the first round of face-to-face interviews. Don’t blow your
chances by acting confused because you have forgotten that you applied
at XYZ Company. After submitting applications for a dozen or more positions,
you can easily forget which job or what company is calling unless you
have created a system. Don’t blow it right off by asking: “Who
are you and what is the position?” Bad, really bad.
- Lie in an interview. Spin is one thing and good storytelling
another. When you are asked to recount some past experience in a behaviorally
based interview, it is best to use the template PAR (problem,
action, result) as the foundation for your story—don't ramble! Lying is never a good
idea and can, if discovered, get you fired at a later date. Be
ethical in your job search and do not fabricate or exaggerate your achievements.
- Show your desperation. Are you running out
of money, feeling frantic about expenses, and worried about the lack
of strong job prospects? Do you absolutely have to have this job?
If this is obvious in the interview, your goose is cooked. Instead,
you want to convince employers that this job represents a great opportunity
for you and, more important, that you will be an asset to their organization.
You don’t want them to know that you are living on the fringe,
unable to pay your mortgage.
- Wait for an unreasonably long time for a job offer. Recruiters,
companies, and hiring directors sometimes stall the hiring process by
waiting for the first-choice candidate to accept their offer. This can
leave you in limbo and jeopardize your attempts to seek another job. Potential job offers that require weeks and weeks
of waiting don’t, in most cases, materialize. My advice? Move
on. Never wait more than two weeks for an offer!
- Restrict your job search to the Internet. Don’t delude
yourself about the efficacy of Monster, Hotjobs, and other self-hyped
Web sites. If you expect your inbox to fill up with qualified
leads from these Web sites, you are destined to be disappointed.
Be proactive in your search by utilizing the job board on ApplicantSearch™!
http://utahalumni.applicantsearch.com/.
In short, use targeted job search resources both on- and offline.
- Give up. Even in Utah, where jobs are still
relatively plentiful, the job search is never easy. It is tough to stay
focused and remain positive when you have submitted hundreds of résumés
and received little response. Remember: Alumni Career Services is designed
precisely to help you navigate through these obstacles.
Need more information?
Contact
Julie Swaner, Program Manager, Alumni Career Services
(801) 585-5036
Congratulations to the following individuals who utilized Alumni Career Services in 2007 and found some terrific jobs: |
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