Ben does a great job on this article.
To read it in his original version click the link:
5-critical-mistakes-that-can-keep-you-from-getting-an-interview/
Thanks Ben!
Ev
The devil is in the details. The prior sentence is a famous idiom
that emphasizes how critical it can be to pay attention to the little
details of certain things. When it comes to resumes, interviewing and
your career, it definitely applies.
Spending the last decade in talent acquisition, I have seen plenty of
solid candidates who have been eliminated from interview processes for
small reasons that were totally in their control. My guess is that most
candidates weren’t aware of some of the negative consequences of these
actions, which is exactly why I chose to write this piece this morning.
The following are four small things you can change to make sure you
don’t self-eliminate yourself from interview process moving forward and
one bigger picture change that might change your perspective on a few
things moving forward. I know you are busy, so let’s jump right into
these.
The objective on a resume that doesn’t fit
In the past, I have made my position on objectives abundantly clear,
and today will be no different. If you have an objective on your resume
minimize this chrome window, open up your resume on your desktop and
delete it. Still here? Let me explain why.
I have probably looked at one hundred thousand resumes in the last
decade. Guess how many dramatically improved their chances of landing a
job with an objective. High five for those who guessed zero. Even if you
apply for a Developer role at ABC company and your objective says
something like “To become a Developer for ABC Company to contribute to
overall company profitability and continue to grow my technical skills”,
it doesn’t help you.
You are applying for the role, of course, we know what your objective
is. That being said, I have seen a bunch of otherwise great looking
candidates be eliminated because of an objective that didn’t fit with
the role. I have seen people leave old objectives on their directed at
other companies. I have seen hiring managers decide against a candidate
because their objective gave them the impression the candidate wouldn’t
be satisfied doing the primary tasks of the role. The list goes on.
The bottom line is I have never seen an objective help a candidate
but I have seen it hurt many. It’s a marginal risk, non-existent reward
scenario in my opinion. If you have an objective, do yourself a favor
and delete it off of your resume forever. In the unlikely case I am ever
floored by an objective that moves me to tears and makes me bang my
fist on the table that a candidate needs to be interviewed, I promise
you all that I will issue a blog post immediately.
Resume saved with a with a wrong name
This is a quick one but to me, that’s even more reason why it bears
mentioning. The title you save your resume as will be seen by everyone
who is sent your resume. So, if you save it as Ben White ABC Company,
what does that tell you? Well, it tells whoever sees it that it is a
resume made specifically for them and it is highly likely it isn’t an
accurate portrayal of your skills and/or you are applying at numerous
other companies (which may be the truth but nobody really likes knowing
that).
What if your resume says Ben White Sales? Again, this means it is a
resume crafted specifically for sales roles and to a degree is even more
damning because it lets people know that you are in all likelihood
applying for roles that aren’t sales roles. Which would lead a logical
person to question your dedication and passion towards sales roles if
you are exploring other avenues for your career that don’t involve a
sales position.
Luckily, it’s a simple fix. Title your resume Ben White Resume. It’s
that simple. Before you ever apply for a job or you share your resume
with anyone, give it a simple title like that. The truth is we know you
have a different version of your resume and you are likely applying
other places if you are applying for a role with us, but this way we can
have the illusion of doubt.
Rude when answering initial call
You know those sweet ringtones where you can have Slayer playing when
somebody calls you and they wait for you to pick up? It is decidedly
less sweet when that person calling you is from a potential employer
(even if they love Slayer). On a similar note is answering the phone in a
super rude way.
Believe it or not, countless times I have called a candidate who
applied to a role I was working on just to have the candidate be weirdly
rude to me. I’ve called and had people answer like “Who is this?” No
hello, no pleasantries just “What” or “What do you want”. My favorite is
I will call and say something like “Hi, is this Joe Smith?” and the
candidate replies, “Who is this?” I then say this is Ben White calling
from Titus Talent Strategies and then the candidate goes “Oh, hi, this
is Joe”.
I then respond, “Hi Joe” but I assure you, in my head, I am thinking
“Why did Joe respond like that? Is he a fugitive or something?” Is Joe
on the run from something? Does Joe have bill collectors calling him?
The truth is, I don’t know why he answered like that but it is starting
things off on the wrong foot. If you are in the job market, just answer
the phone like a normal well-adjusted adult and you can avoid people
like me thinking you are on the run from a Bond supervillain.
A resume that isn’t enticing to hiring managers
There can be a huge difference between what a hiring manager see and
what a recruiter sees. A recruiter (most, not all) looks at your resume
and spends about seven seconds confirming your education/training, job
titles, duration of stay at organizations and a quick scan for any caps.
That may seem like a short time but that’s the reality.
A hiring manager will look at your resume differently. They are
looking at your roles and what you did there. What technology did you
use, what projects were you part of, what was your contribution to the
organization and can they see some sort of impact.
What I am getting is that when you craft your resume, you have to do
so with multiple people in mind. For the recruiter make sure the
formatting, grammar, and aesthetics are handled. For the hiring manager
think specific, quantifiable impact in every role. In some professions
it will be critical to include certain technologies or types of projects
(I will assume if its relevant to your industry you understand what I
am getting at here).
A good example might be: Spearheaded an 18-month project where I lead
a team of 10 to reduce waste on a manufacturing line by implementing
lean principles. Over 18 months improved efficiency by 25% and
eliminated significant waste and downtime which lead to an $80,000 over
that time period.
Now, I am not a technical person but I think you can get what I was
aiming for there. It was specific, quantifiable and it lets the hiring
manager imagine how your skill-set might be utilized in their
organization. I could probably write a 2000-word post on this topic
alone but I will leave it at that for now.
Now I don’t personally offer resume writing as a service but I do
have a few recommendations. I am pretty fond of the innovative
strategies at Blue Sky Resume, currently, they have a special deal going
on with a money back guarantee, check price
HERE.
Another unique service is Resume Scanners. It is a pretty awesome
service that can help you tailor your resume against job postings you
are interested. What I specifically like about this service is that it’s
so customizable to the position you are targeting. It’s a one of a kind
service that to me is worth exploring further if you are willing to
make a purchase to enhance your chance at a position, check the price
HERE.
Burnt bridges that work for a new organization
At the beginning of this post, I wrote there were four quick things
and one longer-term thing I wanted to touch on. This topic is the
latter. In my time recruiting and interviewing I have had many people
tell me that didn’t need to give their two-week notice or during that
two-week notice period they planned on just coasting. I have also had
people let me know that for various reasons they have burnt bridges at
previous companies.
All of these actions are pretty big mistakes in my opinion. It is
also extremely short-sighted to think that your actions when negative
won’t impact you down the road unless your plan is to apply at a company
you have worked at previously. When people say they don’t think these
actions will have repercussions I like to ask them the two following
questions to reframe their perspective.
Is it not possible that the people at your company switch
organizations and wind up at an employer you might want to work for in
the future? Is it possible that people at a company you apply at know
people at previous employers? Your actions are always going to matter.
In a world as connected as ours, you can ill-afford to cultivate a
negative impression of yourself.
It is a small world and the actions you take at one employer could
very well have far-reaching implications down the road. You might leave
an organization with absolute certainty that you will never work there
again but if you think for one second your reputation there might not
adversely impact you down the road you have made a huge miscalculation.
The way you treat people and the effort you put forth can certainly
have an impact on your career and what doors will or will not be open
for you in the future. If you have applied for a role you were perfect
on and not gotten an interview, this could be a reason. Your reputation,
your brand, the perception people have about you is always going to
matter.
Putting it all together
Well, there you have it. The first three tips are things that take no
time to implement. They are quick, easy things that could potentially
have a pretty large impact. The resume bit is something that can take
more time. If you need professional assistance with your resume there
are plenty of services out there to help you create a great resume.
I don’t personally offer any services like that but if you check out
my Resource Page you can find a few great services to assist you. The
last tip is obviously something that isn’t quick or easy. It is
something that you will have to work at over time and continue to be
cognizant of; however, trust me when I say that it is completely worth
the effort.
I cannot tell you how many times I have presented a candidate just to
have a hiring manager say that they know someone who has worked with
the candidate and they would like to ask them first. In some regards the
impression you make with the people you work with can have a bigger
impact than the skills you pick up along the way. That goes both
positively and negatively.
Leaving a job is not about what the people at your old job will think
about you after you are gone. It is about what they will tell people
about you when they ask. I can tell you for a fact that it is a critical
thing that a lot of people just do not take into consideration.
I appreciate you taking the time to read this all, I know it was a
long one. Do me a favor, if you liked this please share it with your
social networks, it helps me quite a bit. Specifically, if you have a
Pinterest a LinkedIn or a Facebook, any shares on those platforms can
help me big time. And lastly, what please feel free to comment below.
Do these tips help you? Are there any other tips that I did not
mention that you think should be included? The first step to nailing the
interview is getting the interview so this is a critically important
step. I would love to hear what other factors might be important that I
am missing so that I can incorporate them into future posts.
If you have more time and want to read another post, last week I wrote
What successful people do before interviews.
It is a bit shorter than this one but it is a great piece with some
really helpful tips as well. Thanks again for reading and have an
awesome day!
Ben
