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In a previous ASK HR post, I addressed the question of fully completing the employment application. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal discussed eight blunders made by job seekers. The list included:
1. Entitlement syndrome- asking for things such as a free lunch at the conclusion of the interview
2. Behaving rudely- examples included bringing a child to the interview or opening a sandwich during the interview
3. Acting arrogantly-accepting a call during the interview
4. Lies, lies, lies- a candidate falsely claimed a referral from a company employee
5. Dressing down- wearing jeans or attire that doesn’t fit to an interview
6. Oversharing- sharing personal information
7. Saying thanks with gifts- sending gifts instead of a simple note to thank the interviewer
8. Sporting a mom-and-dad complex- having mom or dad contact the interviewer
Those who recruit regularly can probably relate to this list and can most likely share their own horror stories of things candidates have done in the interview process. My list of recruiting blunders seems to be a little more common than the WSJ list, but still equally as damaging and many applicants seem to be oblivious to the fact that they ruin their chances of being hired.
- Sending in a resume with the changes marked (track changes function in Word still showing)
- Not completing the application
- Submitting an application full of grammatical, spelling, or typographical errors
- Not following the application directions
- Lies or fabrications on the resume or application (although these will be found in the background checks, many candidates seem to forget their own lies and admit the falsehoods in the interview or show the inconsistencies between the resume and the application)
- Arriving late to the interview without an explanation or apology
- Knowing absolutely nothing about the company or the position
Recruiters, what is on your list of blunders?
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