Do you want this job or not?
No arguing it is a tough job market out there. But a shortage of vacancies is not the whole story. Sometimes our good jobs go unfilled because of a shortage of desirable candidates. I’m not talking about qualified, I’m talking about appealing candidates — there’s a huge difference.
My belief has always been to hire for chemistry and personality first. Of course the required skills must be there but skills can be taught and continuously improved; personality and attitude can’t. And you can learn a lot about someone’s personality and attitude by evaluating how he or she approaches a job search.
Here are some common offences in my book.
No cover/introductory letter — A good cover letter can be as valuable as the CV itself, since the cover is the “personal” part of the application, while the rest is the same work history that every other employer will receive. This shows that the applicant just couldn't be bothered and in a way he/she doesn't value their own skills.
Awful cover letter — An atrocious introductory note is almost as bad as no letter at all — and sometimes even worse. I have seen e-mails written in text-speak, I’ve seen short notes that read arrogant (”my info attached, call for more info and interview”). And I’ve seen e-mails that were short sighted (”what are the pay and benefits of the job? If they are what I am looking for I will send my cv”).
No Homework — Nearly everyone shows no initiative or interest in learning about your company. Most cover letter emails start with “Dear Sir/Madam,” or worse, “To whom it may concern. How difficult is it to call your switchboard and ask who they should address the cover letter to?
Bad CV – Despite all of the resources available, quality CV's are very rare. I’d be surprised if one out of 20 that I see even comes close to what I consider “well done.” Perhaps my standards and expectations are unreasonably high. But my feeling is that if someone can’t do a good job with the most important document he/she may ever write, what does that say about the work you can expect from him?
We try very hard to send out useful information to our registered Job Seekers every month to help them improve. We do understand that for some people it has been a very long time since they have had to apply for jobs, but for most others, there is no excuse!
My belief has always been to hire for chemistry and personality first. Of course the required skills must be there but skills can be taught and continuously improved; personality and attitude can’t. And you can learn a lot about someone’s personality and attitude by evaluating how he or she approaches a job search.
Here are some common offences in my book.
No cover/introductory letter — A good cover letter can be as valuable as the CV itself, since the cover is the “personal” part of the application, while the rest is the same work history that every other employer will receive. This shows that the applicant just couldn't be bothered and in a way he/she doesn't value their own skills.
Awful cover letter — An atrocious introductory note is almost as bad as no letter at all — and sometimes even worse. I have seen e-mails written in text-speak, I’ve seen short notes that read arrogant (”my info attached, call for more info and interview”). And I’ve seen e-mails that were short sighted (”what are the pay and benefits of the job? If they are what I am looking for I will send my cv”).
No Homework — Nearly everyone shows no initiative or interest in learning about your company. Most cover letter emails start with “Dear Sir/Madam,” or worse, “To whom it may concern. How difficult is it to call your switchboard and ask who they should address the cover letter to?
Bad CV – Despite all of the resources available, quality CV's are very rare. I’d be surprised if one out of 20 that I see even comes close to what I consider “well done.” Perhaps my standards and expectations are unreasonably high. But my feeling is that if someone can’t do a good job with the most important document he/she may ever write, what does that say about the work you can expect from him?
We try very hard to send out useful information to our registered Job Seekers every month to help them improve. We do understand that for some people it has been a very long time since they have had to apply for jobs, but for most others, there is no excuse!
posted by Heidi Whitelock @ 11:34
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