1/17/10 - Three Things that Turn Employers Off

Three Things that Turn Employers Off

As the CEO of Jobfox I speak with employers almost every day. Most of them are HR professionals who see and screen hundreds of resumes daily. Recently I've heard similar complaints about certain job seeker tactics that turn them off.

The top three job seeker "turn-offs" are:

Vague job applications. Many candidates view job searching as a numbers game, where they believe they can increase their chances by applying to more jobs. The problem occurs when the candidate doesn't take the time to "personalize" the job application to a specific employer. As a result the employer feels like they are the recipient of a mass mailing, rather than an application from a candidate who is truly interested in a specific job. The bottom-line: employers still want to see a cover letter that discusses a specific job and why you are a fit.

Applying to many or all of the openings at a company. In this scenario the candidate applies to five or more positions at the same company. Not only does this look like the mass mailing approach, it also sends the message that the candidate isn't interested in a career move. Rather they just want a job. Often one recruiter is handling multiple openings (usually grouped by department), so these multiple apply attempts are channeled to the same person anyway. If you aren't sure where you fit, it's okay to apply to two or three positions.

Basic resume quality issues. Employers consistently complain about resumes with basic grammar, format, presentation, and sentence structure issues. Why do they care? Aside from the fact that it makes you look careless, it also makes them worry that you won't be able to communicate effectively inside and outside of their company. Would you forward a resume to a hiring manager that had English 101 errors?

I hope you find this information helpful in your job search!

Best Regards,

Rob McGovern

Founder and CEO

Jobfox.com