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As a hiring manager for over thirty years, I’ve developed quite a wish list. We all want the same thing. Applicants want fulfilling jobs. I want to fill fulfilling jobs with good applicants.
Here are some things that would make my job easier and, more importantly, make your job search easier and more fruitful:
Update your resume
Especially these days, a year and a half into the pandemic, I’m seeing this over and over: I start talking with a candidate about the last job on their resume and they say, “Oh no, I left there three months ago,” or something similar.
OK, if you’re not currently working, I can see why you might just leave your resume as is, having it look like you’re still working at the last job you had. It’s not terribly honest, but I understand. But if you’re doing something else, why not update your resume?
A resume that is not updated will still get you an interview. I don’t know that it hasn’t been updated. But once we start discussing the information on that resume, it doesn’t look good if you haven’t updated it, especially if it’s been several months.
A resume is basically you on a page (or pages). Is it accurate? Honest? Up to date? Are the details correct?
A resume is an opportunity to put your best foot forward. If it has typos, misspellings and grammatical errors (which I see ridiculously often), what does that say about your attention to detail?
If it is out of date, indicating that you’re working somewhere you’re not, what does that say about your honesty?
These are important components of any job in any field. You don’t want your resume to indicate that you lack these qualities.
If you would like a free checklist with these and more items for your job search, you can get it here.
A Cover Letter is Not the Same Thing as a Resume
Many jobs allow you to apply without a cover letter. I advise against this, but at least don’t re-upload your resume in the cover letter area. You can read about the difference between a resume and cover letter here.
Proactively Check Your Phone Messages and Emails Daily
I understand that not everyone is attached to their phone 24/7 the way I am. That’s healthy and I should learn from it. But if you’re looking for a job, you have to check at least every day.
I recently hired a woman and we set a date for her to come in and fill out her new hire paperwork prior to her start date. She emailed me the morning she was supposed to come in to say that her son was in the hospital and asking if we could do it later in the week.
That was fine, she should be with her son. I emailed her back with some other possible times. She didn’t respond for over a week. Obviously, I filled the position with someone else.
When she responded nine days later, she apologized for the delay, saying she doesn’t get notifications on her phone. That is just not credible. If you know you don’t get notifications, then you need to proactively look, correct? Even if you think you do get notifications, if you’re waiting for a reply you would check, notification or not.
If you’re looking for a job and are not used to checking your email or voice messages, set aside a time each day to do so. Put it in your calendar or whatever you need to do to remind yourself.
You can’t get an interview or a job if you don’t stay on top of communication.
Know the Company and Title of the Job for Which You are Interviewing
You may have applied for lots of different jobs. That’s great. If you’re looking for work, you want to cast a wide net. When you receive a call or email asking to schedule an interview, you will be told what company is calling and what the job is. Feel free to ask if you didn’t catch the name of the company or position the first time.
Write this down and put it in your calendar right away.
It’s always a good idea to keep job posts for which you have applied. You can print them and keep them in a binder or keep them in a file on your computer. You don’t want to depend on finding the job online where you saw it the first time because it may have been taken down by the time the interview is scheduled.
If you didn’t keep the job posting and can’t find it before the interview, that’s ok. Go online, look up the company and find whatever information you can.
During the interview, if you’re still not understanding what the job functions are, ask the interviewer to describe a typical day for that position.
What you don’t want to do is to start the interview by asking, “What job is this for again?” That just makes you look disinterested.
If You Are Not Interested, Just Say So
I expect that much of this is unemployment-compensation-related, but we have all seen a steep increase in job “applicants” setting up interviews and then not showing up. This is true whether the interview is by phone, Zoom/Teams or in person.
I understand why people are applying for jobs they don’t want: you need to complete so many applications each period in order to continue collecting unemployment. I’m not saying I think this is acceptable, just that I understand why people are doing it.
But what possible benefit do you derive from failing to show up for an interview? Just say no thank you or don’t respond to the request for interview. Scheduling an interview and not showing up just takes away from those who are actually looking for jobs.
I hope you will take advantage of my FREE Job Search Readiness Checklist that you can get here.
In addition to the checklist, it includes links to valuable information as to how and why to check off the items. If you can check off everything on the list, you will be ready for a successful job search.
If you would like to be walked through the job search process, from deciding what you want to do, to writing your resume and cover letter, searching for jobs, filling out applications, references, accepting the job and getting through your first day, share this link with someone who wants to buy you a gift: Get Your First Job – 90-minute online course.
