Job Search Suicide
By Taj Ashaheed
June, 2006
In an ever-tightening market, a job seeker in Colorado faces stiff competition from over 100,000 other people looking for jobs. As someone who helped employ over a thousand people and having turned away many from interviews, it often seems that the stiffest competition many job seekers face is from themselves.
It is pretty much a given that people want to work, and given the fact that food isn’t free, people certainly need to. But all the desire and need in the world doesn’t compensate for the fact that too many people simply don’t know how to work. Allow me to share a few points that might explain why interviews are just no fun for HR managers or even perhaps why you might not have gotten that call back after submitting an application.
Speaking of applications, here’s where the first “shoot-myself-in-the-foot” occurs: Requesting to fill out an application and not bringing a pen. I used to think that this was a personal pet peeve of mine, but even my friend Pete – an HR manager for 10 years - says the same thing. When an applicant asks for an application and then has to ask for a pen, it really begs a question of preparedness. Not something you want to give as a first impression.
Next, there are resume snafus. First, since most use do-it-yourself resumes, often drafted from templates provided by software like Microsoft Word, it boggles the mind that the spell-check function is not used more often. Not only will a resume with misspellings not get you the job, it will probably be passed around the office for that day’s comedy entertainment.
Second, there’s the statement included on most resumes: “References available upon request”. Guess, what? Some employers actually request them. Sadly, way too many people are unprepared for this request. Here, Pete points out, “The worst is when I ask for references and they then ask me for a phone book to look up their number and address”.
Regarding resumes, I mentioned above that most are “do-it-yourself”. Don’t. Let someone, preferably a professional, do it for you. If you don’t want to pay the price for professional service, have someone you know, preferably someone who is a manager, boss, etc., proofread your before you give them out. What better insight is there for resumes than from someone who uses them on a daily basis?
Next to applications and resume mistakes, most job search suicides happen with regard to appearance. The way that some people dress for interviews often makes me want to ask them, “Did your mother let you walk out the house like that?” or “So, where’s the rest of that (skirt/shirt)?” In Colorado, where the attitude for “business casual” leans more on the casual side, far too many times people take it to the extreme. Imagine the day I walked into work to encounter who I thought was Marilyn Manson himself sitting in my Break Room filling an application. You can then imagine he got the, “Don’t call us, we’ll call you” talk. On the other end of the spectrum are those who forget to change out of their rap video audition clothes when looking for a job. And here’s another “urban wear” clue. “Do-rags”, like hair rollers, should not be worn to work.
With regard to interviews, do people even prepare for them anymore? Not only do they dress scary but how a lot of people actually perform is even scarier. Interview questions like “Why should I hire you?” or “What do you see yourself doing in 5 years?” are pretty standard and are not philosophical stumpers but for some reason they illicit blank stares and profusely sweating brows. This is not the mention the select bunch who do common sense-defying things like answering their cell phone during the interview.
Last but not least are those applying for a position but bringing little to no ability to actually do the job. For example, at my place of business work is primarily done via the computer. When you walk through my doors the first thing you see are 40 computer terminals. Yet inevitably, even after seeing all those computers there are people with no computer skills who apply. Worse, they lie about their (lack of) proficiency – up until the moment they must use the computer. Ever see someone use a mouse with two hands? I have, and it’s not pretty.
It used to be that along the way with getting an education, you learned about how to fill out an application, or how to conduct a job interview, etc. Clearly, we as parents, teachers, counselors, etc, must revive this seemingly lost art for those thousands out there struggling to find jobs now or in the future.
At least get them to bring their own pens.
June, 2006
In an ever-tightening market, a job seeker in Colorado faces stiff competition from over 100,000 other people looking for jobs. As someone who helped employ over a thousand people and having turned away many from interviews, it often seems that the stiffest competition many job seekers face is from themselves.
It is pretty much a given that people want to work, and given the fact that food isn’t free, people certainly need to. But all the desire and need in the world doesn’t compensate for the fact that too many people simply don’t know how to work. Allow me to share a few points that might explain why interviews are just no fun for HR managers or even perhaps why you might not have gotten that call back after submitting an application.
Speaking of applications, here’s where the first “shoot-myself-in-the-foot” occurs: Requesting to fill out an application and not bringing a pen. I used to think that this was a personal pet peeve of mine, but even my friend Pete – an HR manager for 10 years - says the same thing. When an applicant asks for an application and then has to ask for a pen, it really begs a question of preparedness. Not something you want to give as a first impression.
Next, there are resume snafus. First, since most use do-it-yourself resumes, often drafted from templates provided by software like Microsoft Word, it boggles the mind that the spell-check function is not used more often. Not only will a resume with misspellings not get you the job, it will probably be passed around the office for that day’s comedy entertainment.
Second, there’s the statement included on most resumes: “References available upon request”. Guess, what? Some employers actually request them. Sadly, way too many people are unprepared for this request. Here, Pete points out, “The worst is when I ask for references and they then ask me for a phone book to look up their number and address”.
Regarding resumes, I mentioned above that most are “do-it-yourself”. Don’t. Let someone, preferably a professional, do it for you. If you don’t want to pay the price for professional service, have someone you know, preferably someone who is a manager, boss, etc., proofread your before you give them out. What better insight is there for resumes than from someone who uses them on a daily basis?
Next to applications and resume mistakes, most job search suicides happen with regard to appearance. The way that some people dress for interviews often makes me want to ask them, “Did your mother let you walk out the house like that?” or “So, where’s the rest of that (skirt/shirt)?” In Colorado, where the attitude for “business casual” leans more on the casual side, far too many times people take it to the extreme. Imagine the day I walked into work to encounter who I thought was Marilyn Manson himself sitting in my Break Room filling an application. You can then imagine he got the, “Don’t call us, we’ll call you” talk. On the other end of the spectrum are those who forget to change out of their rap video audition clothes when looking for a job. And here’s another “urban wear” clue. “Do-rags”, like hair rollers, should not be worn to work.
With regard to interviews, do people even prepare for them anymore? Not only do they dress scary but how a lot of people actually perform is even scarier. Interview questions like “Why should I hire you?” or “What do you see yourself doing in 5 years?” are pretty standard and are not philosophical stumpers but for some reason they illicit blank stares and profusely sweating brows. This is not the mention the select bunch who do common sense-defying things like answering their cell phone during the interview.
Last but not least are those applying for a position but bringing little to no ability to actually do the job. For example, at my place of business work is primarily done via the computer. When you walk through my doors the first thing you see are 40 computer terminals. Yet inevitably, even after seeing all those computers there are people with no computer skills who apply. Worse, they lie about their (lack of) proficiency – up until the moment they must use the computer. Ever see someone use a mouse with two hands? I have, and it’s not pretty.
It used to be that along the way with getting an education, you learned about how to fill out an application, or how to conduct a job interview, etc. Clearly, we as parents, teachers, counselors, etc, must revive this seemingly lost art for those thousands out there struggling to find jobs now or in the future.
At least get them to bring their own pens.
Comments