Quantcast
8 Steps to Being Unemployable
adplus-dvertising
professional

8 Steps to Being Unemployable

8 Steps to Being Unemployable
Avatar photo

I just don’t get it?!! Why didn’t I get called back?

I thought I interviewed great!

What do you mean “We decided to go another direction”?

Have you ever heard these words or thought these thoughts?

If you haven’t, you are one of the few. Interviewing for a job is tough.

It is frustrating. It can be a long process.

You develop a rapport with your recruiter.

When you get the call, or even worse the “no call”, it is hard not to get down.

So the question is “How can YOU avoid these things?”.

Truth is, sometimes you can’t.

Sometimes there is already a candidate in mind before you even submit your resume.

That being said, there are some things you can do to HELP YOURSELF from being eliminated and at least getting to the second round of interviews.

Getting an interview, is half the battle. The other half, is getting to the second round of interviews and progress through the process. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot. Here are 8 things that WILL get you eliminated from consideration.

  1. Not Doing Research on the Company and the Role – We have all done it. Let me say as a recruiter, though, it is extremely frustrating when you haven’t done your homework. Look up the company on the internet. Get a good understand what they do. Know the key executives. Know the financials. Be able to articulate how you could help.
  2. Not Acting Enthused About The Role – Have your morning cup of coffee and your notepad. Take notes & listen. Genuinely be interested in what role the person is talking to you about. Remember they are taking time out of their day to talk to YOU. Give them a level of respect!
  3. Coming Across Abrasive or Overconfident – Recruiters truly don’t care how great awesome you are. We are looking for culture fit. We are looking at a lot of intangibles. If you come across abrasive and the know it all, it is a huge turnoff! It is okay to show what you know, but don’t do it in a way that comes across as someone that would have difficulty working with others. Be humble.
  4. Not Being Able to Do the Skills on Your Resume – There are now Sourcers in recruiting for this exact reason. Don’t say you can program and code Java on your resume if you can’t! Don’t say you have been in outside sales for 15 years when you have gone on 3 meetings with an outside sales person and you are an TRULY an inside sales person.
  5. Over Pricing Yourself – Don’t say you want 20k more than you know they can pay. If you are out of their budget, or more than they WANT to pay, you won’t get called back.
  6. Being Inflexible – Saying things like “I will only telecommute” or I don’t want to do that part of the job EVER shows that you won’t be a very good employee.
  7. Not Able To Explain Employment Gaps – Let’s face it. There are layoffs, there is downsizing, and sometimes you just aren’t a great fit. Maintain relationships with a former employee and stay on good terms. If you can’t explain why you left then you are in trouble.
  8. Bad Mouthing Your Former Employer – The employer is looking to employ YOU. If you bad mouth a former employer, what says you won’t do that to them? Be careful what you say! You could say things like “I learned a lot from the company and it has helped me in XYZ areas. Never say “the company was awful and my boss was a jerk”. That will get you nowhere in life!

 


professional
Avatar photo

Will Thomson is the Global Sales and Marketing Recruiter for Rosetta Stone and has worked for companies such as Dell, eBay, Balfour, and Rainmaker Systems. He has recruited some of the most sought after talent around the globe, and is a regular blogger for the recruitment industry. He writes bi-monthly for Blogging4jobs and RecruitingDaily and monthly for The Recruiters Lounge. He is a featured blogger and on the editorial committee for RecruitingBlogs and he has guest blogged regularly for Social- Hire and Work4Labs. His writings have been recognized by Blogging4Jobs, The Carnival of HR, ChristopherDeMers, Smashfly, Jibe, Social Hire, YouTern, and Take the Interview, as some of the best blogs written in the industry. Bullseye Recruiting is syndicated through Business2Community and some of his most recognized blogs have been picked up by Monster, Yahoo, and YouTern, ERE, and Job.com. In June 2014, he will appear in TopRecruiter as one of the top 50 movers and shakers in the recruitment Industry. Will wants you to hit the bull’s eye. He gives career advice to help others find their dream job and everyday happiness. Will truly wants you to get the job right, the first time.

More in professional

7 Things to AVOID SAYING in a Screening Interview

Will ThomsonDecember 5, 2023

5 Tips for Recent College Graduates

myfootpathDecember 1, 2023

Can’t Write A Killer Resume? Make A Video!

Jane CoplandNovember 27, 2023

5 Tips to Build (and Update) Your Student LinkedIn Profile — Part 2

Samuel HershbergerNovember 26, 2023

Find More Job Leads By Networking On LinkedIn With Alumni

John MuscarelloNovember 23, 2023

The Art of Appreciation

Casey CorneliusNovember 10, 2023