Common Blunders to Avoid
Below are common types of resume, cover letter, job application and interview blunders that lose job opportunities. For more information about each topic, click on the links in the headings.
Resume and Cover Letter
- Writing or correcting by hand vs. typing.
- Writing without a clue how.
- Writing on an employer's letterhead.
- Employing gimmicks such as brightly colored paper, unusual formatting, clipart and cutesy statements.
- Failing to tailor for each employer and job description.
- Allowing typos, misspelled words and poor grammar to slip through.
- Including personal facts that employers aren't legally allowed to ask, such as age and marital status in the U.S.
- Adding irrelevant keywords to get more "hits" when searched electronically.
- Sending as an email file attachment without instructions to do so.
- Embellishing or lying.
Job Application
- Ignoring instructions.
- Guesstimating employment dates and such.
- Failing to provide current contact info for references and former employers.
- Asking to take a job application home vs. preparing in advance to fill it out on the spot.
- Submitting incomplete.
- Embellishing or lying.
Interviewing
- Arriving late or more than ten minutes early.
- Greeting the interviewer as casually as you would your friends, like "Wass up?"
- Bringing a friend, relative or pet with you.
- Assuming that, since the company dress is casual, it's okay to dress casual for an interview.
- Wearing bright, flashy colors, too much jewelry, or strong cologne or perfume.
- Dressing provocatively.
- Playing it cool by showing no enthusiasm for the job.
- Acting desperate, like you'll take any job.
- Asking about pay, vacation, coffee breaks and other things the company can do for you, right off the bat.
- Bragging about how many interviews and job offers you have lined up.
- Embellishing and lying.
- Interrupting the interview to take a cell-phone call or answer a page.
- Shuffling through important papers, work samples and such that you didn't organize beforehand.
- Eating, drinking, chewing gum or smoking.
- Nodding off or fidgeting and squirming.
- Not maintaining a comfortable level of eye contact.
- Telling the interviewer you intend to go after his or her job.
- Failing to practice answering common interview questions in advance.
- Knowing little to nothing about the company or job description.
- Asking for a salary outside either end of the range for the job and experience.
- Spilling your guts about personal matters and bad employment experiences.
- Making statements or asking questions that reveal negative, underlying implications, such as, "What happens if I'm late a lot?"
- Criticizing a former employer, coworker or boss.
- Saying no when the interviewer asks if you have questions, or asking frivolous questions just to have some to ask.
- Stopping the interview early, to make it to another on time.
- Forgetting to send thank-you letters.