Asking Me For A Job

[Darth K'Trava]

I've seen applications where people couldn't spell the name of the HIGH SCHOOL they "supposedly" graduated from!

Then they also knock themselves out of the running when they have a criminal record for either assault or theft. Two things we don't need in our line of work, even if it is fast food.....

Granted we do get alot of stinkers that somehow make it thru the so-called interview process. But then, I guess it's who you know..... like those who are friends with the store manager who don't do their share of the work, much less anything extra.

I've seen alot of typos on applications that show where people just don't care if their spelling is crappy. And it shows.

Not to mention:

1: ASKING FOR A WRITING UTENSIL! If you're going to fill out an application, MAKE SURE YOU TAKE AT LEAST 2 PENS!!!! (what I was told when I was job-hunting back in high school)

2: DON'T FILL OUT YOUR APPLICATION IN PENCIL!! That's lazy, tacky and makes you look bad; not to mention unprofessional!

3: SPELLING IS IMPORTANT! To reiterate above. I'm a stickler for spelling stuff correctly. I've seen the database for our convention with misspellings all over the place..... Granted, I may make a typo here and there, but I do go back and proofread all my stuff before posting/sending/etc....

4: PLEASE PRINT EVERYTHING PLAINLY!!!! It's hard enough to get past typographical errors without having to use Decipher Script to read their crappy handwriting on top of that! It also goes to show you can't follow that simple direction.

Granted, I'm not in a position to hire people but I do scan applications just for the "funsies" value you can get out of them.... and the ROFLMAO factor as well!

[/rant]

 

[Wycen]

Anecdotal story, or not. I took a temp job in December, and the place was looking for 2 new highers, so we'd have to put resumes coming in from the fax into folders.

Everytime they pulled a fax off, the other employees or the manager would comment, usually negatively about some aspect of the resume. "Oh honey, what is this?" "Why are you sending this horrible thing in?" etc, for 4 weeks.

So I thought to myself, "Holy cow, (I actually used a different word), this is what people think when they see other peoples' resumes? What a bunch of bung wholes (again a different word used)."

When January rolled around and the manager offered me a full time position, this was part of the reason I accepted the offer.

 

[GlassJaw]

Tell me what you've DONE, not what you can reasonably claim to KNOW.

What do you recommend to people who are looking for a career change (like me). Stating what you've done is fine but it's tough to not get pigeon-holed. I think you have to describe a little of what you can do rather than just what you've done, especially if you don't want to do what you've done anymore. Thoughts?

 

[barsoomcore]

Hey, I just did exactly the same thing. I'd been running QA teams for five or six years and wanted to get into general software project management.

Figure out how to show that the thing's you've done make you qualified for the new career. But I have no problem, generally, with saying what you CAN do. It's long lists of technologies you claim to know that I'm unimpressed with.

If you say you CAN program in Java, well, buddy, I want to see some evidence that you HAVE programmed in Java (even if it's just volunteer/hobby work). And be prepared to get drilled with some tough questions on your Java knowledge when you come in for the interview.

 

[MaxKaladin]

If you say you CAN program in Java, well, buddy, I want to see some evidence that you HAVE programmed in Java (even if it's just volunteer/hobby work).

Volunteer work is find, but hobby work is another one of those things I've been told not to put on resumes. The reasoning is that employers are only interested in things that people were willing to pay you to do.

 

[barsoomcore]

I'm not. *shrug*

I don't pay much attention unless it's online and I can look at it. But frankly, a kid out of school who's built a half-dozen websites for fun is going to get more attention from me than one who hasn't. I like the self-starter impression I get from such things right off the bat, and if the sites are good, I'll be much more favourably inclined.

Of course, if they suck, hey, that's one more easy decision...