Secure your dream job in 2019!
/What not to do when applying for a job.
Hi friends! I hope you have had a fantastic summer break. Perhaps you are still having it? With a new year I know a lot of people go into ‘new beginnings mode’, which means it might be time for a change of job. To help you out this month I am going to focus on resume and job-hunting tips.
Many articles we come across focus on all the right things to do to stand out in the recruitment process. However not many articles tell us about the pet peeves of recruiters and what you need to stay away from.
So today I am going to give you a few key tips on what NOT to do when you are applying for jobs!
1. Not following instructions correctly
Instructions are there for a reason. Remember in a recruitment process you are being assessed the ENTIRE process. It’s not just when you are invited for an interview, or over the phone. It’s every single interaction you have with a recruiter. So if the job advertisement says “apply by clicking the link below”, then you should apply by clicking the link below. Sounds simple I know. However everyday I still receive direct emails stating that an applicant would like to apply for a job.
Recruiters are extremely busy people. Well scrap that, we are all busy people. Adding another email to anyone’s inbox unnecessarily is not going to do you any favours! Recruiters don’t tell you to apply online to be annoying. They do it as they need to capture all of your data in a system. If you want to catch the eye of the recruiter I would suggest a phone call introducing yourself and asking intriguing questions about the business.
Same goes for key selection criteria and cover letters. If the advertisement asks you to address these things then you need to do it. As I mentioned before, all of these elements are a testing if you can follow a simple process. The last thing you want to be doing is adding more work to a recruiters already demanding schedule.
2. Having no voicemail
If you are searching for a job I suggest you turn on your voicemail. It is super frustrating as a recruiter to call a candidate to invite them in for an interview and they have no voicemail to leave a message. This means the recruiter needs to continuously chase you. Again, we are all busy people. Make it as easy as possible for the recruiter to contact you. If they do leave a message be prompt in getting back to them. They will greatly appreciate being able to tick another item off the to do list.
Whilst we are on the subject of voicemails, make sure your voicemail message is an appropriate one. Again remember that you are being assessed on every interaction throughout the process. You wouldn’t want an inappropriate message being the one thing that made you come unstuck.
3. Inappropriate email addresses
This is a very simple one! Keeping in mind that recruiters will be assessing everything it’s time to let go of the hotandspicy99@hotmail.com email address. Keep your email address professional and simple. Hot and Spicy 99 doesn’t give the best impression…….need I say more here?
4. Fail to show up and not notify the recruiter
Again this one would seem like common sense however the I have lost count of the amount of times it has happened. We appreciate that when you are searching for a job you usually have multiple applications on the go at one time. Many candidates might secure a role and have other interviews still booked in. One of the worst things you can do is not notify the recruiter that you won’t be coming to the interview or continuing in the process.
Whilst at the time you might think it doesn’t matter as you have secured your dream job. Let me tell you, it does. Most large organisations will have a candidate database management system. In this system we record notes for every stage of the recruitment process, this includes when you don’t show up. What this means is it could harm your chances of going for a role with that organisation in the future.
At the end of the day it comes down to respect for peoples time. So do the right thing and notify the recruiter. Let them know you have found another role but would love to keep in contact. You could even connect with them on LinkedIn. Leave a good impression and the recruiter will remember. Keep in mind these days not many people stay at one company their entire career, you never know where that recruiter might end up!
So there you have it! A few key points to keep in mind when job hunting! If you are starting the search for a new role in 2019 all the best! You might like to check out my free Beginners Guide to LinkedIn to start up leveling your personal brand and inbound job prospects.
Happy job hunting!
Amanda
