Five Ways to Say 'I'm Unprofessional'

By Peter Vogt
MonsterTRAK Career Coach




When you're looking for a job or internship, particularly in a tough market like this one, there's nothing worse than leaving a prospective employer with some sort of bad impression. Unfortunately, though, there are many ways you can do just that, often without even knowing it.

In most job-filling situations, the employer has the luxury of choosing from several well-qualified applicants, all of whom could probably do the job. It is then that the little things, like the common but often unrecognized mistakes described here, almost always come into play. Make sure you avoid them, so they don't cost you a shot at the job.

1. Using a Cutesy Email Address for Correspondence

Example: cutiepie@domain.com, or -- far worse -- something like sexkitten@domain.com.

You Might Think: It's a clever, memorable email address everyone will get a kick out of.

The Employer Will Probably Think: I can't believe someone would actually list this email address on her resume, let alone use it to correspond with me. Will she do the same thing on the job if I hire her? Yikes!

2. Putting a Silly Message on Your Answering Machine

Example: A is for academics, B is for beer -- and one of those reasons is why we're not here. So leave a message, OK?

You Might Think: Mine is the funniest answering machine message this side of the Mississippi. My friends will love it.

The Employer Will Probably Think: Good lord, this person probably lives in Animal House. And I just can't risk interviewing, let alone hiring, someone like Bluto or Flounder. Sorry, Charlie. Click.

3. Sending Your Resume and Cover Letter Without Proofreading

You Might Think: Everybody makes mistakes, even employers. So if there's a mistake or two on my resume, no big deal. The employer probably won't even notice, much less care.

The Employer Will Probably Think: Everybody makes mistakes, even employers. But making more than one minor mistake on a resume or in a cover letter is unacceptable, and often, even one is too many. How do I know this person will proofread the letters he writes to shareholders? What if he someday leaves a zero or two off one of our financial statements? I better put this resume aside and look for someone who's more accurate and thorough.

4. Winging Your Interviews Instead of Preparing Thoroughly

You Might Think: I'm good at thinking on my feet, and if I get stuck, I'll just BS my way through, like I've done on many an essay exam. Besides, they can't expect me to know everything about the company.

The Employer Will Probably Think: This person clearly knows nothing about the company, nor has she made any effort to learn more about us and what we do. She must not really care whether or not she gets the job. I want someone who cares. Oh well, maybe the next person will be better.

5. Failing to Send Thank-You Notes After Interviews

You Might Think: A thank-you note? You're kidding, right? Do people even do that sort of thing anymore?

The Employer Will Probably Think: This person has no follow-up skills, not to mention common courtesy. He could have at least dropped me a quick email note, like this other person did. I think I'll invite this candidate for the second round of interviews instead. The other guy must not really want the position.

Your right about this process of finding a job. And while where at it, never bring up money in the interview. Let the person who is interviewing you bring it up. It's almost taboo to bring it up and wait for the person doing the interview to ask you' if you' have any questions. Don't interupt, don't get into a personal conversation about a subject. Just answer all questions with some enthusiasm and a positive view (I know, hard to believe that came from me). And at the end of an interview, if you really feel or if it's obvious that your not getting the job, you may take time to ask what the person interviewing you, what it was that you lacked or maybe what it is that you might have done to blow your chance. In most cases, the interviewer would almost be happy to help you out with such information, because they know you want to improve your intervieiwing skills and it's not against the law to want a job. I haven't had to interview for almost eight years now, but it's good to remind one's self of it.

[Edited by - 4949 on 10-12-2007 01:55 AM]

Vise Versa. Very good info. Now this is a thread that is worth while. Anyone else have any job hunting advice?

Another good way to get your foot into a company is to volunteer some time, so they can see what they got working for them. I did it a few times and I got in no problem. As a matter of fact, they didn't want to lose me, so they hired me. It's actually funny how it can turn out that way.

'Word of mouth' seems to work very well also. As a matter of fact, about 95% of my jobs have been through word of mouth. This means you'll need to network more through friends, acquantances, etc. Good luck. But what simrud was saying about playing the game, that's something I'd like to here more of.