Things you MUST NOT do when applying for a new job

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

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