BLOG: What Not to Do as a Job Applicant

BLOG: What Not to Do as a Job Applicant
Recruiters share some of the wildest things they've heard and experienced from job candidates.

Job hunting is a job. From networking, editing and updating your resume and filling out countless job applications, it’s bewildering that some candidates could still manage to flub their opportunity. And I’m not talking about something as simple as a candidate failing to correctly articulate his/her weakness in a job interview. I’m talking about blowing it completely.

We reached out to numerous recruiters and HR professionals and asked them to share some of the craziest things they have heard or experienced from a job candidate. Here are excerpts from a few of their responses:

“I called an individual to request an updated resume because the original resume I received showed that he’s been unemployed since 2011. I figured this was a mistake and wanted to give him the opportunity to correct it. While on the phone, he stated that he’s worked for 2-3 companies since 2011 and will send an updated version. After we hung up, I received a text from him which included a picture of a piece of notebook paper laying on his kitchen table. I zoomed in to read the print and saw that he had written the names of the three companies he worked for since 2011 on notebook paper and sent it as a picture. I didn’t submit his information to our client.” –Summer Chancey

“I had a field applicant ask if our company reimbursed for massages.” –Dean Fullerton

“I called an applicant to do a phone screening for a mid-level professional position. As always, I asked if it was a good time to talk, or if she would like to set a better time for me to call her. I could hear kids screaming in the background. She said that it was fine to do the screening right then, so I asked her a few questions … the background noise grew in intensity and she made no move to get her kids under control. I asked again if there was a better time to talk and she again said no and that she was fine. I asked a couple more questions and quickly concluded the phone screening. This candidate was not advanced in the search process, due to her lack of judgement on a professional presentation of herself.” –Denise Noble

There are others, but you get the idea.

While situations like these are certainly not the norm, it’s still surprising that in a well-paying industry in which competition is fierce and job opportunities are not as plentiful as the glory years of the past, job candidates would make these mistakes.

So let these serve as cautionary tales, job-seekers, or perhaps a guidebook on what not to do. Some recruiters have an extremely large volume of job applications they sift through, even with the help of the applicant tracking systems. Don’t blow it on a poor judgement call.



WHAT DO YOU THINK?


Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.

Graeme  |  February 26, 2018
We can see some people don't want to be hired - can we also discuss "what not to do as a recruiter"! Statements in ads such as "if you do not hear from us two weeks after closing date consider yourself unsuccessful", or "only potential applicants will be contacted", or similar show the real human side of the recruitment process. In job ads, please do not provide contact details for an applicant to ask questions about the role if you have absolutely no intention of responding. And at least take the time to know the actual requirements for the job - oh wait now we don't need that as we can just plug a few key words into a recruitment application and its all sorted!
William  |  February 21, 2018
At our startup, we needed various AutoCAD draftsmen & designers at our offshore office. We went through numerous local HR recruiters & manpower companies, only to be forwarded resumes en masse, containing the keywords like CAD. When we complained about the lack of screening, they added a thin layer of a check: calling the candidate & then forwarding. The vast majority of the candidates lacked basic comprehension, poor language & communication. But the recruiters insisted they were "good" - by what metric, no earthly clue. We realized we could teach someone how to draw or draft, but we cannot teach how to read & analyze & think. We could implement Quality controls practices to ensure good drawings, but only if they realized the value of error free work. We ditched the third party recruiters, who were only interested in a commission, posted ads on online job boards, screened out non-local candidates & put applicants to an online take from home test - regardless of their experience, age or resume. Those who scored well were brought in for a second test in-office. This did wonders. Our current crew is exceptional. Regarding pay packages: the cheap guys end up being more expensive in the long term. If you're a job seeker, understand your profile, put in the effort, pluck up the courage, approach the firm directly & request a meeting with a decision maker. Present your credentials & you're all set. Ditch the manpower route.
Scott Southerland  |  February 15, 2018
The company's that put these headhunters in the chase are to blame, CHEAP energy company games on the fly is what the latest trend is, wait until it's an employee market again, they'll be cryin the blues about labor costs until they realize that "YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!" They have a choice you know?
John Walker  |  February 12, 2018
I agree with the above, who gives recruiters the right to position themselves as judge and jury. After all how professional do you have to be to forward C.V.s on to people who do the real work!!
Anand  |  February 11, 2018
I endorse Robert's opinion about the recruitment agents. They are no better than any other sales agents we come across. Cut these middlemen out and approach the employer directly, however getting past the 'HR gatekeeper" of a company would be another challenge!
Robert Crosby  |  February 08, 2018
Please use your network and avoid recruiters. They do more harm than good. 90% of the recruiters never see a candidate, and all they want is to sell you and get paid. When is a good time they keep calling you, and when it is down, they dont even want to answer your phone. Go straight to the company, they save money, they have HR, and dont believe recruiters are needed and do good job by screening, etc.


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