Now it's bosses' turn to talk about those job applicants from hell
By Andrea Kay
If you've sat nose-to-nose with employers but aren't getting second interviews or offers, you could have done any one of 50 things wrong. The obvious ones are, you'd think, obvious. But I'm astounded at how often they occur.
So before we get to the biggie, let's look at three clear-cut boo-boos that may sound picayunish to you but are big turnoffs to employers.
• What you say
I get letters weekly saying, "I have never been one to blow my own horn." Shy or not, most people have never learned to talk about themselves or don't want to figure it out.
Pretend you're writing a brief essay titled "Why a company would hire me." It includes your experience, strengths and knowledge — how you'll make a difference and your objective. Familiarize yourself with it, and then practice. This will help you focus on what's relevant and not overdo it or say too little.
Offering too much information was the person who revealed to April Callis of Springboard Consulting in East Lansing, Mich., about how hard it was to get her boyfriend out of bed to drive her to work. Sharing too little was the man who responded to each question with "Yes," "No" or "Not really."
Your experience doesn't speak for itself. A woman from Norman, Okla., wrote to say she has "25 years experience in the business world plus an associate's degree in business management — which I think should make someone want me!" Not unless they understand what that means.
Negative talk about bosses is a no-no — even if they were bad. Badmouthing provokes Tom Peric, president of Galileo Communications in Cherry Hill, N.J., to dig deeper, where he discovers "there's a litany of bad bosses, places and environments." This makes him think the person may be the problem.
Responses that blew candidates' chances for a job with Cynthia McKay's company, Le Gourmet Gift Basket Inc. in Castle Rock, Colo., include: "I'm actually an actress. I just need something to make my car payment," "You're an attorney? Can you get me into law school?" and "I have a lot to do during the day. Do I have to be here at 8?"
• Clothing and other accouterments
McKay says one man appeared in spandex pants after a run and a woman came clad in a midriff-baring top. Another person set a wet Coke on McKay's antique wood desk, while another brought a bag of caramel corn that she ate throughout the interview.
• Being late
"It's a near death sentence," says Peric. Need I say more?
• And, finally, the biggie ...
What gets most people into trouble is less obvious: how they seem.
That's because you make initial and overall impressions by what you do or say.
Some younger workers get nixed because they treat office secretaries in a condescending manner, says Bruce Fenton, president of Atlantic Financial Inc. in Norwell, Mass.
Others tell interviewers what they're doing wrong. Robert Smith, a 31-year-old black business owner in Rockton, Ill., said he interviewed a 55-year-old applicant who actually said Smith didn't know what he was doing and that Smith would be a "lot more successful" if he hired him. This made him wonder if the man was racist.
Mary Remington, career counselor and former employee assistance manager with a firm in Minneapolis, was "totally turned off" the minute she met a man waiting in the conference room.
"He was looking at a huge map posted on the wall. When I walked in and said hello, I stuck out my hand to shake his. He kept his back to me, probably for an entire minute, and simply kept staring at the map. And he kept his hands in his pocket after he turned around. Unfortunately, I wrote him off right then and there."
People who reschedule more than once indicate to business owner Sam Waltz in Wilmington, Del., that they don't respect the commitments they make.
Small things can make a big and bad impression.
Reach Andrea Kay at andrea@andreakay.com.
