Take My (Job) Advice

I’ve noticed a lot of articles lately talking about what you should do when you’re looking for a new job.  Of course, they focus on the typical stuff – resume writing, interview questions, etc.  But I would add a few things to consider when looking for a job that recruiters don’t always talk about:

  1. Your email address says a lot about you.  It’s one thing to be sugarmama86 or hunkoflove777 to your close personal friends.  But a recruiter doesn’t really want to know that about you.  Think of creating a professional email to send out your resume.
  2. Your voicemail says even more about you.  I once listened to a candidate’s “Halloween Horror” voicemail – complete with some comment about dismembering bodies.  I realize it was a joke but really…does that scream “I’m a team player” or “conflict just rolls off my back”??? (No pun intended.)
  3. Your Facebook and MySpace pages tell your life story.  Recruiters are checking out these sites.  It’s almost like a ‘background check’.  What company would hire a person who has a bunch of photos of them partying half-naked with comments on their wall about being the reigning belching king/queen?
  4. Applicants should follow directions.  It’s fine if you want to apply to ads…but do what the ad says.  There’s nothing more frustrating that saying ‘no phone calls’ and getting phone calls.  Or ‘include salary requirements’ and nothing is submitted.
  5. Finally, understand that your resume is really a summary of your qualifications.  Key word here:  summary.  Don’t list everything you’ve ever done…just enough to make yourself interesting.  And, don’t send every award certificate you’ve ever received.  While I’m sure people are proud they had perfect attendance in grammar school…recruiters don’t want to sift through all that paper.  It’s the surest way to end up on the bottom of the pile.

So take my advice . . . (1) you might want to conform to the establishment just a bit – at least until you get hired somewhere and then you can express your individuality as you see fit.  Or at least as much as company policy will allow.  (2) Be as interesting at the end of your resume as you are at the beginning.  I always read a resume from the bottom up.

Hey -speaking of bottom’s up!  What are we drinking today…?

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