When on your job hunt, there are many ways for you to show that you are the best candidate for the role. There are also many ways for you to disqualify yourself from the running for a possible position. I wanted to highlight some of the small things that can get you disqualified from a position, and although they are small, they are things to be mindful of throughout the interview process. I’ve highlighted a few examples below.
Customizing or tweaking your resume is a good thing, as you always want to have relevant work that you’ve done for a particular job show up. However, be mindful of how you save your resume, and the name you give this saved copy. Hiring managers can see the name you have the resume saved as, so if you are applying for multiple positions then make sure you save a copy in a name and format that is appropriate for the position. Many times I see a resume attached and it says something like “Resume for Medical Sales position” when they are applying for a Paralegal role.
When you chose to begin your job search, create a professional email to use when sending your resumes and cover letters, and include that email on all resumes. Too many times I see candidates use their personal emails, and they have ranged from completely inappropriate too silly emails that don’t give off a professional presence. When in doubt, try and have an email that is first name, last name such as Bob.Smith@gmail.com, or something similar. Once you have created that email, make sure you check it regularly if you are actively looking. Responding to a potential company that “sorry, I don’t check this email that often” shows that you aren’t serious about your search.
Be mindful of your Objective statement- many candidates tailor their objective statement to the specific company they are applying, (which I think is a good way to show a company that you are interested in them specifically). However, if you chose to employ this strategy, then you must be sure and review your resume before EVERY submittal. Nothing can kill an application quicker for a hiring manager than when they open up a resume and see a different company listed under the objective statement.
Spelling errors that Microsoft Word won’t catch with their spell checker. When writing your cover letter and your resume, you must read it thoroughly when editing for spelling and grammar mistakes, especially those that aren’t caught by the computer. Some examples of this are using “apart” vs. “a part” (these two phrases have opposite meanings and are used a lot in cover letters). Similarly, “lose” and “loose” have two different meanings and are interchanged mistakenly on a lot of cover letters I see.
Respond to requests for interviews from employers in a professional manner. If you are lucky enough to hear back from an employer that would like to set up an interview via email, be mindful of your response. In our mobile world it is easy to think that a quick response from your phone is sufficient, but if an employer takes the time to write a professional email to you, take the time to respond in kind, rather than just firing off a quick confirmation like “sure, 10 a.m. sounds great for a phone call.” Many times professionals email you to set up a interview because want to evaluate your professionalism and writing skills before they pick up the phone. Don’t rule yourself out of a job before you even have a chance to interview for it. Also, if possible; remove the message that says “sent from my iPhone.”
Delays in responding to companies and interviews can be read as disinterest, or lack of motivation. If you’ve had a first interview and are asked to follow up, do not be lazy about the next step. Hiring managers like to see candidates who seem eager to pursue the opportunity, and if there is a long pause between communications then it can be open for interpretation from a hiring manager.
Thank you emails and letters are still important. This is a point that you hear frequently, but I still very often see candidates skip writing a thank you letter. This can be blamed on the multiple ways that interviews take place (email responses, phone interviews, Skype, in-person, etc.) but when in doubt, send a thank you letter. If you’ve had a phone interview and it only lasts 5 minutes, send a short thank you letter expressing interest. If your interview is an hour (or longer) in-person interview, send a longer thank you email highlighting the most appealing things you learned about the company and express your interest in joining the firm.
Be on time for your interviews, especially any scheduled phone interviews. I’ve seen hiring managers schedule phone interviews as close as 15 minutes apart from each other, so if you are a few minutes late and miss their phone call, they’ve already moved on to the next call. Be prepared for the phone call several minutes beforehand.
Don’t conduct a phone interview on your car Bluetooth. Technology is great, but there is still some clarity loss when someone is driving and on their cars hands-free device. It can come off as a lack of interest or prioritizing the phone call if you are driving while speaking with a hiring company. If you get caught in your car unexpectedly during a scheduled phone interview, it’s best to pull over in order to concentrate on the phone call. If an interviewer calls you out of the blue and you’re driving, it’s entirely appropriate to ask to schedule the phone call at a time that you can be in a quiet place.
These are all small points that at first glance don’t seem to be things that would make or break your job search, but they are still aspects to be mindful of especially in a competitive interview process. Many times it is a small thing that separates a company’s top candidate from the runner-up…so you want to do these small things well!
