Have you ever listed all the things that can go wrong in a job
search? Chances run high you have not. If you listed everything, you might have
a royal fit, crawl back in bed and
pull the covers over your head.
Résumé writers often catch heat
for a wide assortment failed job searches. In most situations, those failed
searches venture into areas beyond their control. What follows are a few job-search
givens, some of which may surprise
you.
The first 11 items are those employers
can easily spot—usually during an initial flash read of the résumé. Flash reads
rarely take more than 15 seconds. The remaining seven surface during an
interview or crop up during cursory background checks.
1.
Spotty
record of employment: This is sometimes referred to as hopscotch
employment, where the jobseeker appears to have bounced from one position to
another like a Ping-Pong ball. Naturally, the jobseeker promotes himself as the
Jack-Of-All-Trades.
2.
Short
periods of employment: Employers routinely scan employment durations. Job
candidates who cannot hold employment for longer than a year are often viewed
as unstable and/or unreliable. Those jobseekers routinely attempt to project a
rock-solid image.
3.
Unrecognizable
employer(s): To camouflage bad employment, many jobseekers resort to
declaring themselves consultants with fabricated or out-of-business companies
that are next to impossible to trace. While some think this is a clever and original
idea—it’s far from it.
4.
Nondescript
positions: Anytime an employer
glances at a job title as says, “Say
what?” the candidate falls into instant trouble. Esoteric titles unique to
a specific organization often get dismissed because the recipient reader has no
idea what the title means.
5.
Lack of
degree or lack of appropriate degree: Many positions require a degree as a
matter of company policy. In some situations, a degree may be required as a
matter of state laws. Either way, it becomes mission impossible to do an
end-run around built-in restrictions.
·
Certain
senior-level positions require degrees from prestigious colleges and
universities. Employers usually avoid advertising such hidden agenda.
6.
Excessive
commute: Not to belabor statistics, but it is a fact that job applicants
who have to commute more than 45 minutes each way, will not stay. Experienced employers
know this, and that statistical fact is always taken into consideration. (Relocation is a different matter.)
7.
Lack of
relevant experience: There exists an untold mass of jobseekers who respond
to anything and everything—relevancy be
damned. All major employers routinely encounter this phenomenon. Within
nanoseconds, these résumés get discarded.
8.
Vague or
overly general résumé: Jobseekers who want to remain flexible resort to odd
things; however, there is a tradeoff for that. Rather than speak in specifics,
they resort to vagueness and generalities. Savvy employers won’t fall for it. –That’s the tradeoff.
9.
Verbose
and/or overly lengthy résumé: Most résumés—even technical ones—will range
somewhere between one and three pages depending on several factors. Venture
beyond three screens and readership interest plummets rapidly—as in falling off a cliff speed.
10. Internet unfriendly résumé: Just
because someone sends something over the Internet, it does not de facto qualify as Internet friendly. While most employers will have sophisticated
software, they rarely take the time to decode esoteric materials that do not open
easily.
11. Unreadable or confusing résumé: Any
halfway decent résumé writer should be able to spot this. For those who prepare
their own material—not so much. We do not read our own material the same as
strangers. In short, what may be clear to the creator may be unclear to others.
Other common glitches:
1.
Bad
credit history or credit history mismatch: Jobseekers simply forget to
scrutinize their credit reports for correctable errors and inconsistencies. Caulk
it up to being too busy, too time consuming or whatever, but most won’t walk the
extra steps. Go ahead; curse the darkness.
2.
Bad
driving record: This is one of those HR chores routinely performed. Too
many moving violations are strong indicates of irrational behavior patterns
many employers prefer to avoid. If you drive with one of those special license plates, you are automatically
in deep do-do.
3.
Too many
court appearances: Employers have access to public court documents. Make too
many court appearances for whatever reason(s) can sink a hot candidate prospects.
Most employers won’t read on if they noticed the individual suited a former
employer.
4.
Serious
health issues: Legally, one’s health statue is supposed to be highly
confidential. Ha! Go to work for an
insurance company, sensitive government position or medical facility and you
will discover a host of exceptions to the term confidentiality.
5.
Physical
appearance: Socially, and perhaps ethically, one’s physical appearance
should not enter into the selection process, but it does. This goes double for
high-profile positions and positions that reflect the corporate image. Do your
best to look great.
6.
LinkedIn
profile: Most LinkedIn profiles qualify as bland to matter-of-fact.
Employers often glance at them to gauge consistency, number of endorsements,
and peek at how you appear in public. Leave your picture off, and they usually
suspect the worst—an easy fix.
7.
Terrible
interviewing skills: Forget the statistics—they are exceptionally bad. Half
of those who interview poorly honestly believe the opposite. The balance seems
to know they interview poorly, but do nothing to correct the deficiency. Go figure.
Even a gorgeous résumé cannot
remedy these last set of employment glitches. Best advice is to correct the
deficiencies, and minimize the rest. As Clint Eastwood might quip, “Know your
limitations and proceed from there.”