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Congratulations Graduate! Eleven Reasons Why I Will Never Hire You.
Congratulations Graduate! Eleven Reasons Why I Will Never Hire You.
Graduate!
by Mark OToole - PR & content at HB Agency
o C
c n
m e
t n
e v
. r
no parachutes at all.
to a hard landing.
equal.
Because
Or you are simply a victim of some other random event out of your
But too many of you who had the skills and capabilities to make the cut or get a second interview blew it.
in You te r br rv dis ou ie a gh wi st t y ng ro ou sk us do il wn ls .
why?
Is it you?
ca Y re ou er r se sc rv ho ice o s s ls ta ff ?
Whatever the reason, there are consistent themes as to why you didnt get the job.
This wont be the first time youve heard these and it wont be the last, but as your class flourishes shiny new resumes in front of prospective employers, here are the top reasons why I will never hire you.
1.
is longer than that of a 25-year professional.
Your resume
showcase your classwork, high school accomplishments, extracurricular endeavors and your three marketing projects.
But I need
to see
(A ridiculously short resume is equally dangerous. Did you do anything besides attend class?)
Youre probably a better internet surfer than I am, so why didnt you spend a few minutes gathering intelligence about me or my business?
X X X
d u o Y
o o l t idn
w y m at
. e t i s eb n o t u eo
(Im not always concerned with your actual answer but rather your composure and thinking process when answering it).
3
q u
.
s t
o i
Do you want me to think Im going to have to do the work for you, or that youll show up prepared every day?
add value.
Use your note (email or note/card are all fine nothing is not) to show your passion for this job.
My workplace is casual,
d n u n s e , k s t ee n r i o h w s t oa e , s c t o i n r i h a n c e , s w n a a e J y a m en y ou
(ev
it .
I want to know what youll look like when I take you to see a client.
youre basically saying, please invest loads of time and money into me, and maybe it will help me figure out that I want to do something else.
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Your follow-up
a ja ck , the j d
Im n all-t ot lo o r a post des king ing . (If for a wou I w jac ld h ere, k-o ave the fs a i d j ob so.)
Because Im not really into candidates who wont throw themselves 100% into the opportunity at hand.
7.
I dont expect you to be an expert in anything just getting out of school, but your resume claims social media expertise.
Dumb Tweeter
@dumbtweeter
Your eight tweets in the last six months are not signs of immersion. (And your regular use of #fuckinA isnt effective.)
Y pr ou
oo d Did i fr dn nt ea t d.
d grammar
If you cant eliminate bad grammar or misspellings from your resume or cover letter, how can I expect you to write an error-free report for a client?
You DONt
HAVE A LINKEDIN PROFILE
showcase
your professional skills, even if they are nascent
ht line g i r up s on
n . i ) e e r h t n r o a o w t r o o ( D
n r te
p i sh
While this is more for those still in school than those just out, nothing makes you more attractive to me than knowing youve been exposed to a similar work environment.
Internships also help you decide if my job represents the right structure for you saving us both time and agony if it turns out you just dont like what we do.
I get 50-100 resumes each semester from new graduates. Those with internships sit well ahead of those without.
You lacked
professional courtesy!
I introduced you to my colleague and you didnt even ask her what she does.
WHY?
Its a small bit of extra effort to make sure you dont ruin your chances in the interview.
4. Use your promptly sent thank you note to reveal even more awesome stuff about why you make sense for this job. 5. 6. Dress up it will make you feel better during our meeting. Stay focused.
7. Social media is mainstream but dont overplay it until you know where it fits, or doesnt fit, in the job. 8. No typos!
9. LinkedIn matters you become searchable, findable and professional. 10. Internships set you apart (and give you great stuff for bullet #1.) 11. Practice hand-shaking at home!
Mark OToole is managing director of PR & content at HB agency, a B2B marketing and communications firm with global clients in clean tech, medical tech and high tech. Despite the very true observations in the article above, Mark has hired countless talented PR pros over the last 15 years. Reach Mark at motoole@hbagency or on Twitter @markrotoole.
Design and layout courtesy of HBs Matt Gustavsen & Christine Tesseo.
To learn more about HBs branding, marketing and public relations expertise, please visit www.hbagency.com.