Wednesday, January 1, 2020

5 Ways to Annoy Recruiters Dont Make These Job Search Mistakes

5 Ways to Annoy Recruiters Dont Make These Job Search Mistakes 5 Ways to Annoy Recruiters Dont Make These Job Search Mistakes There are a few people that you should make every effort to please. Corporate recruiters fall into this category. After all, they do hold a lot of influence over your career. All too often, job seekers engage in activities that drive recruiters up the wall. In some cases, these are clueless mistakes. In others, they are misguided efforts to impress or get attention. Maybe you are guilty of a few of these gaffes yourself.1. Submitting resumes when you dont meet the basic qualificationsIts one thing to take a chance at submitting your resume or CV when you come up a bit short on some of the qualifications. Its another thing entirely to submit your resume when you are entirely unqualified. The first might land you an vorstellungsgesprch for a great opportunity. The second irritates corporate recruiters who already have loads of resumes to review.This also leaves the impression that you are desperate, and not in a good way. A recruiter may believe that you are incapable of reading the job requirements, or that you simply dont care. Neither paints you in a very good light.Some applicants do this as a way to make initial contact with a recruiter. The idea is to gain some name recognition and get their resume on file for future positions. Unfortunately, it just doesnt work. A recruiter or hiring manager is more likely to simply discard it without a second look. If you dont have the majority of the qualifications, reconsider submitting your resume.2. Showing up to interviews late or unpreparedHiring managers frequently deal with candidates who are late or unprepared for interviews. This is something that virtually guarantees you will be eliminated from consideration unless there are very extenuating circumstances.If you are going to be late, common sense dictates that you call in advance. Unfortunately, doing this only mitigates the situation sl ightly. The best approach is to consider anything other than showing up on time unacceptable. Be prepared. Learn the route to the interview, prepare for traffic, and know an alternative route.Interview preparation is important as well. You should walk into the conference room or office with everything that you need. This includes a pen and notepad. The corporate recruiter should not have to provide you with anything.If you have been sent to the interview by a placement firm or independent recruiter, remember that you arent just representing yourself. If you are late or unprepared, that reflects poorly on you and the recruiting agency.3. Failing to follow submission instructionsIts important that you upload, email, or otherwise submit your resume according to instructions. Be sure that you use the correct file type and follow all instructions. Corporate recruiters have good reason for providing you with these instructions, they help to ensure that your resume arrives and is seen by t he right people.What if I want my resume to stand out? Some job candidates believe they must engage in tricks to gain the attention of recruiters. One of these is engaging in tactics they believe will make their resumes stand out. For example, an applicant might attempt to deliver their resume in partie in spite of being told to submit it electronically.Dont do this. It rarely works in your favor. More likely than not, your resume will end up with a person who has no hiring authority. That person will likely be told to pitch it.What many people do not realize is that submission instructions arent arbitrary. In many instances, recruiters need resumes and CV submitted in a certain way to comply with regulations.4. Failing to take no for an answerThe idea of the job applicant getting the job because they wouldnt take no for an answer and eventually impressed their new boss with their moxy is a thing of folklore. It makes a great story, but rarely actually happens. The likelihood of som eone changing their mind about a hiring decision because you pester them is slim.If you persist, your behavior can quickly become annoying. Pushiness can even become cause for alarm. Its okay to send an inquiry requesting feedback on your performance. You can even ask if there is anything you can do to improve your qualifications. Once you do that, let things go and move onto the next opportunity.5. Pestering recruiters and hiring managers for feedbackIts perfectly understandable that you are eager for feedback after an interview. Resist the urge to be a pest. After an interview, reach out with a thank you via email. Reiterate your interest in the company, then wait. Dont make contact again until the day after you were told to expect news.If the deadline passes, it is okay to send an email or make a phone call. Please only do this once. Ideally the corporate recruiter will let you know of their decision or where they are in the hiring process. If you dont hear back, assume the answe r is no. You may also note the lack of professionalism.A final note, if you are working through an agency, let them do the work of communicating with the hiring manager. Even if you believe they are creating a communication block, it is beyond unprofessional to end run a recruiter or placement professional to speak to a hiring manager directly.Conclusion Take action to make the hiring process work in your favorNow that you know what irritates them most, lets go over some actionable steps that can help get recruiters on your side.Use social media to connect with companies you are interested in working with.Take a practice run and drive to interview locations at least once before the day of an interview.Invest in a nice pen set and stationary to bring to interviews, or bring a laptop or tablet to tech jobs.Use your persistent attitude to pursue new opportunities when things dont work out.Consider taking a class on written communication or joining an organization like Toastmasters to b oost your confidence and interview communications skills.If you take the right steps, you will be empowered to get the best results possible from your job search.Pat Fredshaw is Recruiting Coordinator and writer at content creation service Essay Supply. She has nearly a decade of experience working as a recruiter and placement specialist. Her passion is matching candidates with amazing jobs, and helping them achieve their career goals. When she isnt working, she enjoys traveling, playing recreational softball, and volunteering at her local animal rescue.