We all know that hiring managers appreciate prospective employees that are on-time, polite and dressed for success, not to mention qualified for the job position at hand. But what do hiring managers hate? Our top resume writers have a compiled a short list of irritants that will make it difficult for you to earn that new job.
1. Failing To Follow Directions
Read the job posting carefully. If it specifically says not to include a cover letter, then don’t send one. If the listing says all inquiries must be submitted by email, then submit your inquiries via email and don’t make a phone call. After all, if you can’t even follow these simple instructions, how likely are you to be able to follow more complex instructions once you get the job?
2. Making It Hard For Hiring Managers
Do you have a professional website, a blog, a LinkedIn profile or perhaps a social media account that pertains to your profession? Be sure to include this information on your resume so that hiring managers can take a quick peak if they wish. Mentioning that you have a website or blog but failing to include the URL or a link means that the hiring manager will have to search around the internet if they wish to find it, and hiring managers simply don’t have that time to waste.
3. Winging It During An Interview
Did a hiring manager just ask you a question you can’t answer? You might be tempted to simple make something up on the spur of the moment. This, however, would be a mistake as most hiring managers can tell that you are winging it and that you have no idea how to answer the question. You might simply remark that the question is a good one and you need a moment to think about it. Take a few seconds to think the question through and formulate a thoughtful answer. You can even think aloud as you do this, which allows the hiring manager to take a look at how you think and solve problems. Top resume writers also suggest that you practice your answers to typical interview questions prior to going on interviews to avoid these types of situations.
4. Keeping It Super Casual
The corporate atmosphere may be relaxed, but that doesn’t mean that you should be during the interview or within any correspondence with the hiring manager. Dress professionally, use proper and professional language, and ensure that all of your emails include a proper business format.
5. Careless Errors
This might seem obvious, but our top resume writers see careless errors all the time when they are given resumes to review. People often misspell words or use improper grammar or syntax, and this is something that really irritates a hiring manager. If you are sending out a multitude of resumes, be sure to double and triple-check that the company name is correct on each letter or packet you send out. For instance, if a manager from Company A sees the name of Company B on your materials, they will simply toss the resume and application since you couldn’t even be bothered to make sure where you were sending your information.
The best advice we can give you would be to use the services of top resume writers, and we can help you find these professionals. We’ve scoured the internet and reviewed hundreds of resume writing sites and narrowed down a list of the top resume writers. We highly recommend that you contact these companies and hire them to create everything from resumes to cover letters to LinkedIn profiles and more.