ajcjobs > BlogBreak > Archives > 2007 > October > 24
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Sabotaging your own job search?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sometimes the devil is in the details. Over the years I’ve seen a number of job seekers who put forth a lot of effort in their search, with very little reward. In some of those cases, it’s the smallest things that have cost the candidate the job. Without even realizing it, job seekers can sabotage themselves because of these simple mistakes.
In the current job market, employers are typically overwhelmed with applicants and they are looking for reasons to weed people out. Here’s a list of common mistakes that job seekers make, which can prevent a potential employer from even considering your application.
Spelling Errors: Have someone check your work. Use a dictionary. Have someone check it again. There’s no reason you should have a spelling error on your resume, cover letter, or job application.
No Email Address: Not including an email address on your resume or not having an email address at all is a red flag. Employers will wonder about your computer literacy and may rule you out because of this.
Tacky Email Address: It should go without saying that you should not use your onehotmamma@email.com address for job search purposes. Still, employers see these kinds of email addresses everyday. Why would you do that to yourself? Get a professional email address and use it.
Inappropriate Voice Mail Greetings: If your outgoing message on your cell phone or home phone includes any of the following, change it immediately: Children’s voices, music, cutesy sayings, religious greetings, poetry, etc. Keep it simple, identify yourself or your phone number and be professional.
Incorrect or Incomplete Phone Number: Make sure you’ve typed your telephone number correctly and that you’ve included your area code. If you accidentally type a 3 instead of a 2, suddenly the employer is calling someone else.
Digital Dirt: If you have a personal website, your Facebook account, or if you’re a regular contributor to on-line blogs, you should be aware of what you’re posting. The lines between the virtual world and the real world are blurry these days. Employers are logging into social network sites and doing on-line searches about potential candidates prior to making a hiring decision. So, talking about controversial topics such as religion or politics, or posting pictures of yourself partying or scantily dressed may not create the kind of impression you would like to present to a potential employer.
In the end, it really only takes a small amount of effort to make sure that you’re not sabotaging your own job search. Most of the time you only get one shot at a job opportunity, so make sure this doesn’t happen to you!
