Top 10 Job Hunting Blunders

Careerone.com.au has recently revealed its list of top 10 blunders made during job interviews!

Here’s what made it into the top 10:

1. Spelling mistakes on a CV/cover letter.
2. Using “crazy” email addresses – e.g. sexylovegod@hotmail.com.
3. Inventing careers and skills.
4. Interrupting an interviewer to look at a text message or take a call.
5. Reeking of that last minute cigarette as you walk into the job interview. Yuk. Overpowering colognes/perfumes are also bad form.
6. Dressing inappropriately – the way you look should match the image of the company you are interviewing with. Also jewellery that jangles irritates the interviewers.
7. Not setting up a quiet space for a phone interview. Pet noises, house mates/family asking questions or loud music in the background are interview killers.
8. Sharing too much personal information.
9. Bagging your former employer or boss.
10. Not doing your homework about the employer – and worse – calling the employer by the name of their competitor.

“How well you conduct yourself at each step of the recruitment process speaks volumes about how you will act in the job – if you get it”, says Kate Southam, Editor, Careerone.com.au.

Kate’s top 10 tips on how to ace a job interview:

1. Research, research, research – on both yourself and the employer.
2. Tailor your resume and your interview prep for each role.
3. Rehearse for the interview – at least three times.
4. Prepare to use real examples from your work history to answer interview questions.
5. Pick your job interview outfit days ahead to make sure it fits and is stain free.
6. Be positive about your past work experiences.
7. Prepare questions to ask the employer.
8. Always be 10 minutes early for an interview.
9. Follow up with a thank you after the job interview.
10. Be on your best behaviour but be genuine. If you have to pretend to get the job then it is not the job for you.
11. Careerone.com.au spoke to employers and recruiters who offered up some of their worst interview experiences.
    

Angela Vithoulkas who runs the VIVO Cafe franchise in Sydney said that one candidate came in for an interview dressed in a clown costume.

“I felt like sticking a sign on my forehead saying ‘are you serious?”. It’s hard to take someone seriously when they’re dressed as a clown.”

Helen Olivier, of the Olivier Group said that there was a degree of desperation in the market so people overstate their skills and salary.

“Often people assume they are going to earn a lot more than market reality just because they are moving jobs. If you are head-hunted it doesn’t necessarily mean you are worth higher than market value.”

Andrew Brushfield of Robert Half in Australia says spelling mistakes on resumes is a pet hate for consultants.

“If you make errors on your application, employers assume you’ll make mistakes on the job.”

For more tips & info on the job-hunting process: http://www.careerone.com.au/news-advice