Denise Lee Porter

faith,hope, affiliate & network marketing & anything else that’s on my mind

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If You’re Serious About Finding A Job, Don’t Do This…

4 May 2009 7 Comments

In the average month there are at least 300 resumes that come to me via email. I am writing this post as a service to those of you who are unemployed or underpaid and are seeking gainful employment. If you know someone who is currently job hunting, please ,please pass these tips on; let them know that if they are serious about finding a job:

DO NOT have inappropriate music (I don’t care if it’s rap,rock, country or gospel) on your phone message. After all why should a recruiter have to listen to 30 seconds or more of your favorite song before they can leave you a message about the job that you applied for? Just yesterday, a recruiter I know was treated to” u got one more time to feel on my booty, you’re turning me on” and then (this is the same call mind you) he was played an entire song (Angel Of Mine) and finally there was a beep; just a beep no message. He hung up, because he felt that this person does not really want a job, if they did they would have taken a few moments to ensure that their message to incoming callers was an appropriate one - end of story.
While I am on the subject of voicemail, let me just say that the serious job seeker will ensure that their mailbox is set up correctly, and that it is never so full that a prospective employer cannot leave a message.
Don’t save your resume as resume.doc or some other generic title. You want your resume to stand out in all of it’s glory and this is just another one of those little things that can make the difference between getting a second call and being buried in a pile of resumes named resume_2008.doc .
Do not use your current personal email address on your resume, especially when said email address is sizzlingblonde@hotmail.com or hotnbothered@yahoo.com. Don’t use any email address that describes your sexual proclivities, race, ethnicity, or political orientation. You never get a second chance to make that first impression, so don’t blow it with an email address that sends the wrong message about you.
DON’T send your resume in a format that is not widely used . Send a .doc or .pdf or even .txt file; there just aren’t that many businesses using WordPerfect or Microsoft Works. To avoid sending your resume in a format that will never be opened, go out to openoffice.org and download a free office suite.
If you don’t actually have an “Objective” or can’t think of an objective to put on your resume then just don’t put an objective. Let me show you what I mean about objectives that don’t improve your chances:
1. Objective: To obtain a career with advancement in the company.
2. Objective: To get a job.
3. To get a job at a company that I can retire from
Don’t get me wrong on this one, I think that proper English is a beautiful thing. Actually I am so passionate about good writing that I won’t read certain authors because I just don’t enjoy their stilted writing. Here’s the thing, I have read some cover letters that were nothing but “words of the day” strung together to create sentences. Please don’t write a cover letter that requires a Thesaurus. Don’t over do it to the point where your cover letter doesn’t make any sense.
This is the epitome of “tacky” (yes I realize the use of this one word exposes my age) and unprofessional: sending a copy of your resume and cover letter to 2 or more companies/recruiters at once and not even using bcc. Why i s this a bad thing? It reeks of desperation and throwing crap against the wall to see what sticks. I certainly won’t respond to you, because chances are you aren’t organized enough to know who I am. And if you are applying for a job as (for example) an administrative assistant and you can’t organize your own job search, then how can I expect you to organize my office?
Every prospective employer and recruiter out there can tell that you are not serious about your job search when you neglect to put an area code on your phone number. Not in your cover letter, not on your resume, not in your email - no area code anywhere. It’s 2009 , everyone has an area code, here in the Atlanta area we have 3 area codes which renders the number 555-1212 totally useless to me even if it comes with an address.

Help me to finish this post by providing me with number ten and I will give you a free copy of the “Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace D. Wattles.

Leave a comment I want to know what you think.

7 Comments »

Lakisha said:

Hi Ms. Porter,

I really enjoyed your tips on job hunting. I found them very useful to the job hunters every where that are seriously in search of employment. Currently, I am job hunting for a postion in the marketing field. In my last two positions I served as a Marketing Manager but I have found it to be a difficult task to secure another position in this job market. I was laid off from my last position in February and I am looking to resume work right away.

I know that you are in the recruiting field so below is a copy of my resume in hopes you can forward it to a company that may be hiring. In this resume you will not find any typos, phone numbers without area codes, personal email addresses or my favorite song playing on my voicemail. You will find someone that is eager to get back to work, hard working and professional. Hopefully we can speak soon in regards to some possibilities in the near future.

Thanks for your time and advice.

Sincerely,

Lakisha Knight

# 4 May 2009 at 6:48 pm

Lucy Lopez said:

Hi Denise! This is a great post with some really down-to-earth advice about what not to do when job-hunting. I used to work in HR and part of that work involved interviewing potential employees.

The written resume is certainly critical as it must stand out from all the others in a ‘good’ rather than ‘bad’ way! When I’ve helped people write their resumes, aside from the basics (what I consider ‘basics’ is what other people might consider ‘advanced’ but that is why every person I’ve helped write a resume for has had an interview :-)), I’ve also helped them avoid the following:

*Don’t undersell yourself. Don’t lie and don’t exaggerate but don’t be shy about listing your skills, abilities and aspirations. Most people make the mistake of not mentioning their skills because they take them for granted. Also, most people don’t know how to write about their skills in a way that communicates their true capabilities.

For example, if you are able to read and respond to emails as part of your job (and you’ll be surprised how many people will omit to mention this in their skills list), don’t just say ‘I am able to read and respond to emails’, say “I routinely handle a significant volume of emails daily and am able to prioritize them and respond to them in a timely, polite and helpful way”.

You can see how the second highlights so many other skills that go into the apparently simple, mundane task of handling emails. There is no exaggeration or lies here. But you are letting the person reading it know just how much care and professionalism goes into your work! In other words, don’t just say WHAT you do, say HOW you do it.

Gosh, I’ve written far more than I expected to but I’ve had so much fun helping people write resumes over the years. They really do begin to see themselves differently and it all contributes to their confidence and self-esteem!

# 7 May 2009 at 10:01 pm

Lisa Edwards said:

Great post! I dislike having to listen to all that music when I call someone, much less even to think someone would do that when they are expecting a call from a would be employer! You have the best tips!!! Printed them out and gave to my husband who is job hunting.

Also, I am going to be a first time Granny, WOO HOO. I am so excited!!Giveaway on my blog at http://www.militarymomz.blogspot.com. Post a comment on the boy name and girl name you like best out of the ones listed.

# 11 May 2009 at 5:17 pm

Denise Lee (author) said:

Congrats on the Granny thing, grandkids are like jewelry definitely to be treasured:)

# 11 May 2009 at 6:19 pm

Roxanne said:

I, too, used to have to weed through resumes. I don’t envy you. It’s amazing what people will do and say when looking for a job. I would like to add - if you are going to walk into a company and fill out an application, dress appropriately. I was at a business the other day and a young lady came in dressed in ripped jeans and a shirt that was hanging off her shoulders. She asked for an application and was told there were no openings. However, this particular business was looking for a front desk person. Amazing.

Great post!!

# 11 May 2009 at 11:53 pm

Denise Lee (author) said:

Ahh yes the “look the part” portion of job hunting. People tend to job hunt like they window shop - they do it “while they’re out” forgetting that one does not get a second chance at a first impression.

# 12 May 2009 at 6:43 am