5 Biggest
Job-Applicant Mistakes
By
Yoji Cole
Interviewing for a job can be a stressful
experience. The applicant wants to make the
best impression but often isn't sure exactly
what to do.
DiversityInc interviewed recruiting experts
from companies ranked among The DiversityInc
Top 50 Companies for Diversity® list to hear
what mistakes are made and how to best
ensure a successful interview process.
Here are the five biggest mistakes job
applicants make and how not to commit them:
No. 1: Not researching the company before
the interview
Researching the company's web site, its
statements on diversity management, benefits
and the requirements of the job for which
you are applying are all advisable. But
Joseph Hammill, manager of talent
acquisition for corporate human resources at
Xerox Corp., No. 7 on The DiversityInc Top
50 Companies for Diversity list, adds that
applicants should be more comprehensive in
their research. Network with people already
working at the company; call professional
organizations the company is associated
with, and ask any fellow college alumni who
work at the company about their experience.
Thorough research will reveal what positions
are available but moreover what type of
employee the company wants, says Steve Bean,
associate director for North America talent
supply and human resources at Procter &
Gamble, No. 14 on The DiversityInc Top 50
Companies for Diversity list.
"People need to understand the differences
from company to company and be ready to
address how they best fit the bill for a
particular company," says Bean.
"Not knowing reveals itself in the interview
process," says Tony Jenkins, market
president for Central Florida and vice
president of cultural competence and
diversity for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of
Florida, No. 15 on the Top 50 list.
"Sometimes [the interviewer] asks questions
around how [the applicant] would approach a
problem and their answers do not relate to
the company's business. You want to hear
answers that relate to the company's
business."
No. 2: Inability to articulate needs and
desires
"Too many people don't spend time upfront
understanding what they bring to the party
and they might undersell their particular
skills," says Bean. "People need to take
time to say, 'Here's what's important to me
by rank order.' That can be geography, level
of pay, benefits, work/life balance, the
type of work you get to do, or even what
does the daily grind look like."
Companies are hiring because they either
need to solve problems or have opportunities
that require more employees, which is why
the best applicants are those who can
articulate how their experience is best for
the particular position, says Hammill.
Michelle Kuranty, retail, financial-services
staffing manager for Chase, agrees.
"Knowing what you want to do and applying
for it is important because we see people
... apply to every job, and when they're
called they don't know what job they applied
for," says Kuranty. "That's not
professional." Chase is a subsidiary of
JPMorgan Chase, No. 9 on the Top 50.
"And many people say they did something on
their résumé but then can't remember in the
interview," adds Dan Tiernan, manager of
national recruiting for Verizon, No. 6 on
the Top 50.
"Interviewers ask open-ended questions to
bring out an applicant's experiences or
skill sets that apply directly to the job so
you should be generally accurate to
represent what's on your résumé," says
Tiernan.
No. 3: Being unprofessional in the
interview
Of course, be early to all interviews and
don't bring food unless asked to do so. At
Verizon, one of Tiernan's recruiters told
him about an applicant who walked into the
interview with a sandwich in hand. Upon
reaching the recruiter's office, the
applicant placed the sandwich on top of the
recruiter's desk. When the recruiter asked
the applicant what he planned to do with the
sandwich, the applicant said he planned to
eat the sandwich and asked if that would be
a problem. Think he got the job?
Tiernan says that applicants often commit
faux pas that can be excused among friends
but that make them less desirable to
recruiters. During summer months, people on
the East Coast may have hay fever. Tiernan
has seen incidents where an applicant
dealing with hay fever or other allergies
sneezed into their right hand and then put
it out for a handshake.
"And it's hard not to screen a person out
when you hear about their personal medical
history and/or their family's medical
history or their date from last night," says
Tiernan. "Don't share personal information
that's not germane to the job."
Another unprofessional faux pas is to speak
ill of a current boss. Applicants do not
persuade a recruiter to hire them when they
complain that a boss micromanaged. It makes
the recruiter think the micromanaging was
needed.
No. 4: Demonstrating poor communication
skills
"It's about being able to talk with
confidence and expertise about who you are
and why you're the best fit," says Kuranty.
"That's communication skills."
Practice the basics of communication before
going to the interview, listening and
responding and not talking over the other
person. Too many applicants over-talk and
don't listen to the questions being asked of
them.
"I've had people come in to an interview and
all they want to do is talk and not listen
at all," says Jenkins. "Within the first 10
to 15 minutes I've made up my mind ... At
the start, I'm looking at body language and
speaking style."
Hammill agrees that part of having a good
interview is listening.
"You have to tell but you certainly don't
want to blab on forever and miss a point,"
says Hammill. "The more you can get an
interviewer to do some telling is a good
sign."
But don't be dull or fear showing
enthusiasm. Companies seek enthusiastic,
focused, passionate recruits, says Jenkins.
"I can't put someone in front of customers
who is lackadaisical or who has no passion,"
says Jenkins. "In today's competitive world,
the person has to be passionate about the
product and business and enthusiastic and
show that."
No. 5: Not keeping the personal to
yourself
With the proliferation of MySpace and other
social-network web sites, people often think
it harmless to include their social-network
identification in their résumés or in an
interview. But it is not harmless - too
often what is posted on those sites does not
demonstrate corporate professionalism.
"Don't dare put your social-network
identification on your résumé or mention it
in the interview," says Tiernan. "Some of
them are a little bit over the edge as to
what we want to know about the person."
Kuranty adds that applicants should make
sure their voicemails reflect a professional
attitude as well. When searching for a job,
keep the outgoing message simple, such as
who they've reached and that you'll return
the call soon.
An applicant's e-mail address should also
reflect a professional attitude. E-mail
addresses often describe people's personal
attributes. The e-mail addresses given to
recruiters should simply state the
professional name of the applicant.
Job interviewing can be a stressful
experience. But if an applicant conducts the
proper research into the company, his or her
own experience and desires, and a
professional demeanor, the chances of being
hired are greatly increased.
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