A Comprehensive List of Major DONT's When Applying For A  New Job

As you can imagine, working as a recruitment consultant I see all sorts of applications from people all around the world. Some clearly take their applications seriously, taking due care and attention over the process, ensuring the information they are conveying is clear, concise and......TRUE! Others, sadly, do not. I've compiled a list of common faux pas that I come across on a daily basis from potential employees, points that if you take heed of, will optimise your chances of getting that much needed interview!

First things FIRST:

1. DON'T put the wrong information out there.

Wondering why the phone isn't ringing? I've had countless applicants put incorrect telephone numbers and other personal information on their CV. How am I supposed to contact you if I don't have the correct number? ? This also makes me wonder what kind of candidate you are if you can't even get your own information right.
On that note also consider offering alternative modes of communication. Only providing me with an e-mail address seriously limits my ability to contact you. Make sure this is a professional email address, as opposed to bunnyflufflover@blahblah.com, as this doesn't send the right message. If you have to, establish a work related e-mail that you specifically use for job hunting.

2. DON'T think we don't use social media.

Recruiters use social media as an excellent tool to assess candidates. If you're job hunting, it would certainly be worth adjusting your privacy settings on your Facebook account, so potential employers can't see photos of you asleep in the gutter last weekend. Also, I've said it time and time again, GET A LINKEDIN PROFILE!!! This is such an excellent professional outlet, where you can not only job search, but have colleagues reccommend you. This also creates a great level of transparency, and it generates an excellent professional presence for you online. A MUST!

3. DON'T put whimsical information on Job Boards.

I've come across many a candidate who has put nonsensical information on their job board profile, which definately doesn't put you in a great light. If your ideal job is to be "emperor of China", I'm unlikely to even consider looking at your CV as it's clear you're not taking job hunting seriously. Also, we see the salary brackets you offer, so if you say you want £65k when you're only on £14k, you're going to find it tough to move on from McDonalds......

4. DON'T sling out a generic CV and cover letter to EVERY job.

We can tell if you're doing this, as often there will be an incorrect job reference or a delivery of skills that aren't relevant to the role. This lack of attention is certain to get your CV neglected. If you're serious about a job, take the time to be precise in your application, hone in on the job spec and make sure your CV fulfills the criteria of the role. If you're not doing this, your CV will be too generic for every role you apply to - and you are unlikely to get interviews lined up.

5. DON'T apply and forget about it.

Again, if you are serious about a role, then follow it up several days after your initial application. We get, literally, hundreds of CVs coming through every day. Don't you think it's worth shining some light on your CV, and standing out from the crowd?

AND FINALLY....

6. DO NOT NEGLECT SPELL CHECK!!!

This is free on every single Microsoft Word package. I have very serious concerns with any CV that isn't spell checked and has poor grammar. This a such a basic element which is greatly overlooked by so many candidates, and it speaks VOLUMES about a potential candidate. If you are too lazy to take the time to review you CV, spell-check it and re-read to make sure it makes sense, then you are probably too lazy to hold a job down for any consistent period of time.  If you're having trouble composing a CV, check out our handy CV writing tips.

REMEMBER:

We are in a digital era where there are so many outlets at your disposal with regards to finding yourself the perfect job. Make sure  you're using every single one of them to your advantage to promote yourself professionally. Also make sure you are devoting time to job hunting, as these things can take time, but with patience, and taking heed of the above comments, you can at least guarantee you are giving yourself as much ammunition as possible to land that dream job!

Written by Ashley Sinclair, Recruitment Consultant at Agile Talent Management

Hiring the right people is critical for any business but especially for a small company with relatively few employees.  Hiring mistakes not only waste time and money, they create a ripple effect that impacts other employees and your business.

Here are five hiring mistakes you absolutely must avoid:

1.  Thinking you can change a leopard’s spots.  All employees typically must follow company rules and guidelines, whether formal or unwritten.  Still, some people can’t — or won’t.  The outstanding salesman with the incredible track record of generating business and terrorizing admin and support staff won’t immediately play well in your sandbox just because you hired him.  The kid who works Dracula hours fueled by Mountain Dew and Cheetos won’t magically transform into a model Mr. 8-to-5.  For some people the work itself, and how they perform that work, is what matters most — not the job.  Don’t think you can change them.

Instead: Two choices:  One, decide you will accept the total package.  If you desperately need revenue you might decide to live with the proven sales superstar’s prima donna behavior.  Or letting the valuable programmer work nights may be okay even if everyone else works day hours and communication will be less than optimal.  But if you’re not willing to accommodate or compromise, pass.  There is no middle ground.

2.  Hiring for skills rather than attitude. Skills and knowledge are worthless when not put to use. Experience is useless when not shared with others.  The smaller your business the more likely you are to be an expert in your field; transferring those skills to others is relatively easy.  But you can’t train enthusiasm, a solid work ethic, and great interpersonal skills — and those traits can matter a lot more than any skills a candidate brings.  (According to this Leadership IQ study, only 11% of new hires fail in the first eighteen months due to technical skill deficiencies.)

Instead: If in doubt, always hire for attitude.  A candidate who lacks certain hard skills is cause for concern; a candidate who lacks interpersonal skills is waving a giant red flag.

3.  Selling your business. You absolutely need employees who want to work for you.  That’s a given. But never try to sell a candidate on your company.  Why?  1) Good candidates have done their homework; they know whether your company is a good fit, and 2) You skew the employee/employer relationship from the start.  An employee grateful for an opportunity approaches her first days at work much differently than an employee who feels she’s doing you a favor by joining your team.

Instead: Describe the position, describe your company, answer questions, be factual and forthright, let the candidate make an informed decision… but never sell.  The right candidates recognize the right opportunities.

4.  Hiring friends and family. I know:  Some successful businesses look like a perpetual family reunion.  Still, be careful.  Some employees will overstate a family member’s qualifications when making a recommendation. Their heart may be in the right place, but their desire to help out a family member doesn’t always align with your need to hire great employees.  Plus friends and family see each other outside of work, too, increasing the chances of interpersonal conflicts. The smaller the company, the greater the potential impact.  And one more thing:  Two brothers in a five-person business may just wield more effective power than you.

Instead: Either set up an appropriate policy, like “no family members in the same department,” or do an incredibly thorough job of evaluating the candidate. In general establishing and following a policy is the cleanest solution if only because you will never appear to favor one employee’s request to interview a friend over another.

5.  Ignoring intuition. Nothing beats a formal, comprehensive hiring process — except, sometimes, intuition.  Always weigh impressions against qualitative considerations.  And feel free to run little “tests.”  I always took supervisory candidates on an informal tour of our manufacturing areas.  Sometimes employees would interrupt to ask a question; I stopped because employees always come first. A candidate who appeared irritated or frustrated by the interruption was a cause for concern.  Same with a struggling employee, say one who got behind while stacking boxes. I would naturally pitch in while still talking to the candidate. Most would also pitch in, some self-consciously in an obvious attempt to impress, others naturally and without affect.  (It’s easy to tell who automatically helps out and who does so only because you’re watching.)

Instead: Let your experience and intuition inform your hiring decisions.  And don’t be afraid to conduct your own tests.  A classic is the waiter test:  How someone interacts with a waiter (or anyone in a position to serve them) is often a good indication of how they will interact with your employees.  You know the intangible qualities you need in employees; determine a few simple ways to see if a candidate has or lacks those qualities.

Bottom Line: If in doubt, cross ‘em out. Everyone makes hiring mistakes, no matter how hard they try.  Never put yourself in a position to look back and think, “I knew I shouldn’t have hired him…”