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The 10 Worst Job Hunting Mistakes
InsideTech
Whether you are a first-time job-seeker or you’re a veteran employee, it’s important that you are cautious and thoughtful as you try to land your ideal job. There’s more to a successful job search than ironing your best suit and printing out extra resumes.
Today’s IT companies are looking for the best of the best; one typo on your resume or cover letter could get you thrown into the “Do Not Call” pile.
Even though IT employees are still in high demand, there is still formidable competition for each job opening. What mistakes could cost you your dream job? Read through ten here:
1. <a href= “http://insidetech.monster.com/benefits/articles/6187-the-10-worst-job-hunting-mistakes?page=2”>Failing to Ask Questions in an Interview
2. <a href= “http://insidetech.monster.com/benefits/articles/6187-the-10-worst-job-hunting-mistakes?page=3”>Not Being Concise
3. <a href= “http://insidetech.monster.com/benefits/articles/6187-the-10-worst-job-hunting-mistakes?page=4”>Being Too Polished or Over-Prepared
4. <a href= “http://insidetech.monster.com/benefits/articles/6187-the-10-worst-job-hunting-mistakes?page=5”>Using an Unprofessional E-Mail Address
5. <a href= “http://insidetech.monster.com/benefits/articles/6187-the-10-worst-job-hunting-mistakes?page=6”>Sloppy Speech
6. <a href= “http://insidetech.monster.com/benefits/articles/6187-the-10-worst-job-hunting-mistakes?page=7”>Failing to Customize Your Cover Letter
7. <a href= “http://insidetech.monster.com/benefits/articles/6187-the-10-worst-job-hunting-mistakes?page=8”>References Do Not Check Out
8. <a href= “http://insidetech.monster.com/benefits/articles/6187-the-10-worst-job-hunting-mistakes?page=9”>Not Providing Concrete Examples
9. <a href= “http://insidetech.monster.com/benefits/articles/6187-the-10-worst-job-hunting-mistakes?page=10”>Using Personal Pronouns and Articles in Your Resume
10. <a href= “http://insidetech.monster.com/benefits/articles/6187-the-10-worst-job-hunting-mistakes?page=11”>Highlighting Duties Instead of Accomplishments in Your Resume
<a href= “http://insidetech.monster.com/benefits/articles/6187-the-10-worst-job-hunting-mistakes?page=12”>More Advice
TiffE
about 1 month ago
2 comments
How about closing these links? < /a>
ojiisan
about 1 month ago
10 comments
The main problem with this 'advice' to write so that "a hiring manager [can] see my main credentials within 10 to 15 seconds" is that the resume must pass through many hands before it gets to such a manager.
In particular, usually, it has to pass through the hands of a recruiter. Typically, the recruiter is simply not technically knowledgeable enough to make such a judgement in 10 to 15 seconds. Unfortunately, they are too influence by buzzwords, they cannot recognize the marks of a master tradesman who knows how to use his tools well.
GiovannaVittoria
about 1 month ago
2 comments
I think @gmail is definitely preferable to @hotmail. I use my.real.name@gmail.com and it didn't interfere with my getting the management job I'm currently in. But when I'm hiring I do tend to look askance at hotmail addresses, because hotmail sucks while gmail rocks. If you use hotmail or aol mail it suggests to me you don't care about quality and efficiency. The hierarchy of free e-mail domains-- I think @yahoo is better than aol and not as good as gmail, while hotmail is the bottom of the barrel. But worst of all is the job seeker whose experience and skills looked great on paper, but who failed to give me any e-mail address at all!
xny
about 1 month ago
4 comments
This article is FULL of typos and sentences that look like someone lost their train of thought in the middle. How about: "However, a resume shouldn’t contain every detail and not everything ." On the previously given example, even if one is not a stickler about dangling prepositions, it should still be: "Prepare at least 10 questions you truly want the answers to, along with follow up questions." Not "you truly want the answers, too,". Is this a grammar checker gone berserk?
And how about the links that don't work? Does anyone even check these things after they post them?
No worries about being accused of being too polished, anyway.
G_Hosa_Phat
about 1 month ago
6 comments
@brendanmc - I would say it's not a bad e-mail address. The issue isn't if the e-mail address is a Hotmail or GMail address per se. The concern is with what comes before the "@". If you were using "uberbdawg", or something "fun" (like my username here that doesn't really correspond to my name in any tangible way), it would probably be a good idea to get a more appropriate e-mail address.
Heck, you can get free mailboxes from so many different providers these days, if you have any doubts about how professional your e-mail address appears, go get another one and make it look as professional as you can.
G_Hosa_Phat
about 1 month ago
6 comments
"Prepare at least 10 questions you truly want the answers, too, along with follow up questions."
..."one typo on your cover letter can can get you thrown into the “Do Not Call” pile"
You mean like that? ;-) The appropriate wording for that sentence should have been, "Prepare at least 10 questions to which you truly want the answers, along with follow-up questions."
brendanmc1234
about 1 month ago
2 comments
Is brendanmc1234@hotmail.com a good e-mail address? My name is Brendan McMahon.
rixparx
about 1 month ago
6 comments
OK LesPaul - I am currently unemployed - I guess you can see why - not that I want a real job - just quick easy contract work.
PS: Less Paul was from my home town - and he could have been richer than Bill Gates if he had Pattented the Electric geetar (hey no points for mizpelin)
What ever :
Rick Sparks - Milwaukee
LesPaul
about 1 month ago
14 comments
You misspell everything man...not just your name.
Mindpilot, honesty is not going to give you points in the corporate world.
Just tell them what they want to hear, have default answer ready and don't forget to drop the word "leverage" somewhere, they love it...don't worry about what it means, they don't know either..
rixparx
about 1 month ago
6 comments
after spellcheck:
Excellent article and very informative. iWalker is probably in the to confidant category. Tho maybe over experienced for an entry level job.
gmail, hotmail or yahoo I think is OK with prospective employers.
mindplot has typos and a nonconcise or goofy e-mail address
but I think he should get points for honesty. I misspell my name on my e-mail address but it looks cool and is pronounced correctly.
LesPaul
about 1 month ago
14 comments
you misspell everything man..
not just your name
rixparx
about 1 month ago
6 comments
Excelent artical and very informative. iWalker is propibly in the to confidant catagory. Tho maybe over experienced for an entry level job.
gmail, hotmail or yahoo I think is OK with prospective employers.
mindplot has typos and a nonconsice or goofy e-mail address
but I think he should get points for honisty. I misspell my name on my e-mail address but it looks cool and is pronounced correctly.
mindpilot
about 1 month ago
8 comments
"You resume should be concise..." An article scolding people for having typos in their resume probably shouldn't have typos.
I had an interview yesterday, and I was asked "why do you want to work for XYZ?"
I was stumped. I do desktop support, so I don't much care who I do it for, it really doesn't matter to me. That simply never became a question in my mind.
So I blurted out, "because it's a job, and that's what I'm looking for."
I hope I got points for honesty, and not dismissed as an idiot.
I will certainly have an answer for that next time.
markj73
about 1 month ago
6 comments
So what about "@gmail.com" is that also giving the impression of not being serious?
Should you own your own domain/email server or at least pay for a service to do so?
iWorker
about 1 month ago
14 comments
Of course, most of this is irrelevant if you have a skill-set that's in high demand.