Jobs Search

How many times have you heard that "first impression counts"? Many job seekers believe that a professional resume package is all that's required for a successful job search. They do not realize that an email address, the message on an answering machine, or the inappropriate use of cell phones could give an interviewer the wrong impression.

The seven mistakes listed below are real situations that I have come across in my role as a career coach, and although they may appear to be funny, bloopers like these can severely derail a job search.

1. Email Address. Cute email addresses should be used only with family and friends. They will not be considered cute by potential employers. All correspondence that pertains to your job search should have your real name or something that demonstrates professionalism. Consider the young woman who requested a critique of her résumé because she was not getting interviews at any of the restaurants to which she applied. Her email address was lazygirl@xxxxx.com. (I have changed the domain name). Why would an employer hire someone who is announcing that she is a 'lazy girl'?

2. Voicemail. Your voicemail should convey absolute professionalism. In your absence, it becomes another tool to market yourself. Play back your message after it has been recorded to make sure it is short, clear and businesslike. Don't be like this other young woman I met at a job fair who wanted to know what she was doing wrong why she couldn't find a job. When I called her home to follow-up, her voicemail message said "If you got this message, you may be someone I don't want to talk to, and if you are someone I don't want to talk to, you know what to do". She would probably not get a second call from a potential employer after hearing such a message.

3. Résumé. Don't be a part of the 'cheating culture' by submitting someone else's résumé as if it's your own. That is never acceptable, particularly when you didn't take the time to remove the other person's name. A man sent me an email asking me to hire him. The name on his email address was different from the one he had as his signature, and the name on the résumé was also different. Three aliases! When I wrote back suggesting that he decides who he really is, his reply was "u think i am dumb?"

4. Cover Letter. Take the time to write a proper, professional cover letter to accompany your résumé whether you are applying by email or sending it by snail mail. Your cover letter is another opportunity to market yourself to the employer; an opportunity to draw attention to your special skills or to something that was not covered in your résumé. The majority of hiring managers still want to see a cover letter whether or not the job posting asks to "fax a résumé". The same man mentioned above had as his subject line of his email "looking 4 work", and his one-line cover letter said "I am looking for permanent work. Please hire me".

5. Interview. Your résumé and cover letter brought you to this important stage. It is now time for you to shine; to tell the interviewer why you are the best candidate for the job. It's inevitable that you are going to hear the question, "Do you have questions?" You should be prepared with a few good ones. "Why did this position become vacant?", "What would you like to see accomplished during my first 30 or 60 days on the job?" Do not be like one candidate who answered "No" to the question, then went home and sent the interviewer an email with a long list of questions.

6. Job Offer. If you have reached the stage where you have been offered the job, it means the company really wants you. While it is normal, and sometimes expected, that a certain amount of negotiation will take place, don't blow your chances by asking for the impossible. One young man, fresh out of graduate school, thought he should push the envelope and informed the interviewer that another company was offering him much more money. He lost an opportunity with the company as they could not match the offer, and he did not, in fact, have an offer from the other company.

7. Cell Phone. Watch your cell phone manners. One of the last things you do before going into an interview is to turn off your cell phone. Do not put it on vibrate, but turn it off completely. Not only will it be embarrassing to you if it rings during the interview, but it could spell disaster to your job search. One HR manager told the story of a salesman who, wanting to impress the manager, took a call from his territory manager during the interview and calmly told him he was meeting with a client.

A professional resume and cover letter package is just the beginning of your job search. You want to ensure that your professionalism shines through the moment you make contact with the company. Overlooking proper job search etiquette could be detrimental to your career success.

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