career advice

10 Job Search Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making

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awkward

As a job seeker, you may believe you are doing all the right things. You have a resume, you’ve posted it on all of the job boards, you’re on LinkedIn, you’ve let your friends and family know that you are looking for work, so why isn’t anyone calling?

It can be frustrating when this happens week after week, and for some, month after month. Well, I want to show you what you may be doing wrong from a recruiter’s perspective (click that link) and then help you fix it.

  1. Typo filled resume: Believe it or not, I’ve had some folks with great experience turned down by hiring managers because there are spelling errors in the resume. Spell check is your friend, but especially in the case of submitting your resume to employers. If you have 1 or 20 misspelled words, for some companies, that is enough reason to skip your resume. Employers view it like this, if you couldn’t be bothered to correct your spelling errors (when it’s so easy to do nowadays), then what type of employee will you be? They would rather not find out.
  1. Hard to read resume: This is another one that will lead to the recruiter hitting the reject button on your resume. Make sure your fonts are all the same, the size of font doesn’t require a magnifying glass, and that things are appropriately spaced, punctuated, and bullet-pointed. For great resume samples, click this link here.
  1. Graphics on your resume: In today’s world, the first time anyone will see your resume will usually be online, via the company ATS system. Graphics sometimes translate into crazy characters that do horrible things to the alignment of your resume. When recruiters see rows of crazy characters, they don’t try to find the actual words, they just hit ‘reject’ and move on to an easier to read resume.
  1. Inappropriate email addresses: I don’t care if this is your first job at Target or your 50th job at a fortune 500, please get a free email address that is professional. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen addresses like “Bigpeen694u@whatevermail.com”. Some recruiters may call you, and some will not – why take the chance?
  1. Resume does not match the job description: Your resume should come as close to the description of the job as possible. For example, if the opportunity is for an administrative assistant and your resume highlights your sales ability, you probably won’t get a callback. Recruiters and hiring managers are going to go with the most obvious match to the role. Make sure your resume is clear.
  1. You are applying to all the jobs on a company job board: Contrary to popular belief, a live person is sitting behind that applicant tracking system, and we can see if you’ve applied to 5 jobs or 30 jobs. The truth is, you are not going to be a fit for every role, so be more targeted in your applying. If you apply to an administrative assistant role and then a software developer role and then a store manager role, it makes you look unfocused and as if you don’t have a good grasp on your strengths and what you bring to the table.
  1. Unprofessional voice mails: True story: I called a candidate once who I’m guessing was in the middle of some type of crisis because her voice mail said, “Thank you for the call. I am making several changes in my life at the moment. If I do not call you back, YOU are one of those changes. And I mean YOU Jack” I don’t know who Jack is/was, but needless to say, it was a hilarious voice mail, but one that made her seem pessimistic and unprofessional. If she was willing to risk putting her business on a voice mail for strangers (during a job search), what type of energy would she bring to the office?
  1. Low Energy: Being professional does not mean being “cold”, nor do you have to sound like you work for a mortuary (unless, of course, that is the job). When you answer the phone, you should sound upbeat and enthusiastic without sounding spastic. The oldest trick in the book is to answer your phone with a smile on your face. People can hear a smile through the phone, and it makes the person that called want to continue the conversation.
  1. Missing or Incorrect Information: It is surprising how many resumes out there will have phone numbers that are no longer in service or email addresses that bounce back. Sometimes people will send resumes with no contact information whatsoever. Make sure that your resume gives us a way to contact you.
  1. Short Job History: If you’ve had seven jobs in the last seven months, that can look bad to employers. In today’s market, we understand that many folks are contracting and that some of those contracts may have shorter tenures. To combat negative perception, you will want to list (next to company name) that this job was a contract role. Clarifying your contract roles identifies you as someone who is trying to work and showcases your work history in a better light.

These are some of the things that I have seen as a recruiter, and I hope that they help you to take another look at your resume and job search strategy as you approach this job market.

The top 7 ways to annoy your coworkers

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We all have those coworkers that, when we see them coming down the hall, we do what we can to avoid them. You know the ones, they pop up at our desk and linger when they see that we are busy, they love to gossip or they just plain make us uncomfortable. Luckily, everyone at work loves you. Right? Well, before you skip this article or email it to that coworker that you find annoying, read through this list just to make sure that you are not guilty of any of these offenses.

Here are the top 7 ways to be sure to annoy your coworkers:

  1. Be a drama queen – seriously, this is the most annoying trait a co-worker can have. If you burst into tears at every meeting, every criticism, or because you broke up with your boyfriend this week, your co-workers will avoid you. The office is no place for your dramatic antics. This includes slamming doors, yelling, throwing tantrums etc. If you have emotional problems like these, and you have benefits, please, seek the help of a psychologist and leave the drama at the Dr.’s office.
  1. Gossip about your Boss – Listen, there will be times when our bosses annoy us. It happens. It is ALWAYS bad form to gossip to your co-workers about your boss. Doing this will cancel any chances of establishing trust between yourself and your co-workers. Also, offices are small, so you can believe that it will make its way back to your boss.
  1. You gossip, all the time – “Did you see Jim and Tammy go to lunch together? Isn’t Tim married?” People believe if you talk about others, you will talk about them. Your reputation will spread as a gossip and you will notice that people will avoid you like the plague. Work is not the place to discuss other people’s personal business. It is bad form, and only your reputation will be tarnished in the process.
  1. Have loud personal phone calls in your cubicle – No one cares about your wart removal process, your husband’s annoying habits or your inside jokes with your girlfriend that only the two of you find funny. In a cubicle things can get loud – don’t contribute to the noise with an hour-long, personal phone call that everyone around you can hear. If you have a cell phone, use it. Go outside and make your call. Some people come to work, to actually work and your personal call is distracting, not to mention annoying.
  1. Have a live concert in your cubicle – You may love Taylor Swift’s newest song of heartbreak, but no one else wants to hear it blaring from speakers at your desk while they are trying to focus on getting that spreadsheet out in time for the afternoon meeting. If you must listen to some tunes while you work, bring some headphones. Your co-workers will thank you.
  1. Always talk about politics or religion – Again, this falls into the realm of personal business. It can make people uncomfortable if they feel that you are trying to convert them, or shove your beliefs down their throats. Politics and religion are topics that can easily become heated and taken personally – work is not the place for those discussions. Unless, of course you actually work in a political or religious capacity.
  1. Tell racist or otherwise offensive jokes – Your friends may find them funny, but there is a time and place for everything. Work is not the time or place for this type of humor. If you must tell a joke, let it be something light that everyone can find funny. Otherwise, save it for your (real) friends and not your coworkers.

If you are always committing the offenses above and you notice that your “friend” pool at work seems to grow smaller and smaller, or people cut their conversations short with you, you may want to try to knock off these habits pronto! If you are not guilty of any of the above, feel free to pass this article along to someone who is, anonymously of course.