How Not to Get a Job

I spend a great deal of time visiting with people about all aspects of careers from finding jobs to getting hired to staying employed. Perhaps I have missed the boat because I spend so much time communicating what people should do, that I don't talk about what NOT to do.

Karen Debus, from AGCareers.com, shares some great information from her side of the desk as a Human Resources Manager. In her time at the wheel, she met some interesting folks, which caused her to generate this list on how not to get a job:

• An applicant whose handwriting was so illegible, I could not call to schedule an interview, send an email, or a letter.
• An applicant whose email address was something similar to sexyhotchick plus some numbers at whatever.com.
• Having to listen to an outgoing message on an applicant’s voicemail that was two minutes and three seconds of a vulgar rap song and no actual message. By the way, it only takes five seconds to leave an outgoing message.
• An applicant who lifted up his shirt to show me his gunshot wound.
• An applicant who said that if asked, his teachers would say the following about him: “One would say ‘he’s a waste of talent’” (ok, maybe he has some potential?) “and the other would say ‘he’s downright lazy’” (nope).
• An employment inquiry email from “babyamber” in which there were 17 grammatical errors in only seven sentences.
• Being told way too much about someone’s marital woes and medical history (true H.R. professionals won’t dare ask).
• A seven page resume. (Please don’t make it difficult for me to hire you!)

Ms. Dubus asks, "Are you aware of how much impact negative actions count against you?" She goes on to say, "You are being compared to a larger pool of candidates and subsequently scrutinized more than ever. If you’re one step behind your competition, you’ve already lost."

Check your phone greeting, your penmanship, and your resume to make sure you are protraying a positive image. While you think it would be interesting to share details of your personal life at a job interview, do us all a favor and keep your battle scars, body art, and medical history to yourself.

Lori Hopp, GCDF

lorihopp.com