The 4 major No No’s of Job Applications
Over 9 years in recruitment reviewing CV’s I see the same common mistakes time and time again that will make your chances of being hired pretty much impossible. In the hopes of helping job seekers to avoid this faux pas, I will share some of my experiences and offer advice on how to avoid them:
- Selecting the wrong attachment – In the last week alone I’ve had applications that were somebody’s P45, another with their holiday booking confirmation and one that was a copy of a lunch time menu! So my tip here is, send yourself an email with the attachment that you think is your CV. Then open the email with the attachment and check that it is, in fact, your CV!
- Negative Comments on Applications – Nobody wants to hire a negative person. If from the application you appear as if you may be difficult to deal with why would anybody want to hire you? While I’m fully aware that the application process can be highly frustrating for the job seeker you need to remember to rise above it when dealing with a potential employer and not put them off you before they have even had the chance to open your CV. So please avoid putting negative notes on your application comments section such as “I’m wasting my time applying!”
- Social Media – Again back to negativity – please refrain from making negative comments when you see a job post or making comments about a current or previous employer. Nobody wants to hire a person who is likely to bad mouth them during or after the employment let alone before they even start an employment. Remember some employers may also take a look at your public social media accounts so ensure to keep it clean!
- Voicemails/Emails – If you are job seeking it’s vital to have a professional image no matter what the job is that you wish to secure. Having unprofessional voicemails (like the oh so not funny.. hello.. hello… haha I’m not here leave a voicemail) really don’t paint you in the best light. Equally the quirky email address that you thought was hilarious when you imagined it up may not be so amusing to the employer. If you have a “funny” email address it may be worth setting up a new one keeping it clean to use for your job search.
So please avoid basic mistakes like these. Keep it professional. Don’t become negative no matter how frustrating the search can be at times. Keep up the positive professional approach and hopefully, the job you want will be yours in no time.
