Whenever I was in search of a new employee, it always astounded me some of the mistakes that applicants and interviewees made. Some of them were minor missteps and others were incredibly annoying. Still, others made me wonder why they bothered to apply in the first place. Here are some of the most common and uncommon mistakes made by people looking for a job.
Lying on the application/resume – I will be the first to admit I didn’t check every past job or call all of the references listed, but I always called at random at least one of each as a precaution. It always amazed me when I would call an employer that according to their application, the applicant worked for only a week ago, and no one had ever heard of the applicant.
Using the wrong references – Although most people make sure that their references will be positive when contacted, there was always at least one that had nothing but negative instances of the applicant to report.
Bad Hygiene – When conducting interviews in a private and enclosed space, one of the most noticeable problems most interviewers dread is a person who has yet to discover the magic of soap and water.
Dressing Inappropriately – On occasion an applicant would show up wearing some of the most unbelievable clothes. When an applicant showed up dressed like they were ready to go clubbing or transversely in the most torn up or unkempt clothing they owned, they automatically went to the bottom of the application pile. If they couldn’t be bothered to dress properly for an interview, there wasn’t much chance they had any intention of dressing the part as an employee.
In need of an attitude adjustment – I’m a pretty patient person but when it came to interviewing I never had much use for applicants who looked bored, acted superior or just plan had a negative attitude. The applicants that came in smiling and ready to answer questions always made the best impression.
Not having goals – Whenever I interviewed people I asked what they hoped to work for. Whether it was to work their way up within the company, help pay for further education or simply have the ability to get experience in the workplace it was important to know that prospective employees had goals other than getting a paycheck.
No knowledge of the company – Applicants that had no real idea what the company was about rarely got past the first interview simply because it meant they were looking for anything, anywhere that might get them money. It’s much more impressive when an interviewee has at least a basic understanding of the company’s services, history or even motto.
Using nicknames to address the interviewer – Calling your interviewer dude, honey, sweetie or babe is never the way to address them. It not only shows you didn’t bother to catch their name when introduced, but it’s unprofessional as well.
Bringing in an incomplete or sloppy resume – Off the top of my head the top two resumes I ever received occurred during the same interviewing period. One only included the applicants name and phone number along with what I assume was supposed to be a cover letter which had more spelling mistakes than I’d ever seen in one document and told me more about a vacation they had taken than the skills they brought to the position. The other was completely covered in what I hope to this day was either coffee or cola.
Babbling – Part of all interview processes is a question and answer session. I usually scheduled interviews 30 minutes apart and had a list of 5 basic questions which were a staple in each one. In one instance I never got to the second question before the interview was over because the applicant wouldn’t stop talking long enough for me to move the interview along.
Interviewing for a position can be one of the scariest parts of job searching. By making sure you do not make these mistakes you help to make the right impression and hopefully get one step closer to being hired.