Some things never cease to amaze me. As you well know, the economy is still sputtering along and there are many actively seeking work. I've actually been meeting some of these individuals as of late given we are hiring for an Account Manager position at The Event Planning Group, LLC. But what never ceases to amaze me is the poor quality of the resumes and cover letters received -- as well as the bland presentation when meeting face-to-face! Quite frankly, I have more spirited conversations with my 8, 6 and 5 year-old nephews who sell me well on why they should have yet another cookie.My good friend and fellow Boss Lady Kate Perrin owner of PRofessional Solutions, LLC -- the Washington area's only public relations temporary agency -- not only places professionals in positions of employment, but has offered countless tips and strategies on building effective resumes and successfully preparing for the interview. Kate, the harvest is still PLENTY!!
I have to chuckle when I receive resumes that show tracking changes, or total seven pages in length or have the usual typos and misspellings. But the one thing that gets me is when the resume looks good on paper, and then we meet....I'm totally deflated when the person simply sits there. I often want to reach across the table and shake the candidate saying: "Help me, help you! I really want to hire you, but you need to convince me why I should!" And the reason shouldn't be because you simply want to be rescued from your not-so-good current job situation. Interestingly, that's the one thing that did come through in a recent interview. Oy ve.
You would think people would sharpen their game given the current job conditions. And as Kate so aptly concludes in her February 2009 posting:
There are still jobs to be had and temporary assignments to fill, just not many. How to get one of the limited openings? If you’re a professional communicator make yourself stand out from the rest of the crowd by demonstrating you can write, can craft and express key messages effectively, and can help the client (employer) meet its goals and be successful.
That says it all.
2 comments:
I had a similar experience when I was interviewing candidates three years ago. The resumes looked fine -- it was when I looked these people up online that I discovered unsettling things about them. I was almost set to hire one young woman, and decided to check her out on Facebook. She had already announced on her update status that I had hired her! That really floored me. But I agree with you, the interviews were the most appalling.
One young man had driven two hours to see me for an interview. He had not bothered to look at my website or learn anything about my company and was completely unprepared. I asked him where he would be going next, and he told me: Levick. So, I said, listen, don't go into that Levick interview as unprepared as you were for me today. I told him what to do. He sat there, stunned, looking like a deer in headlights.
I hope I didn't waste my time; he certainly wasted mine! I don't get it. What are these job candidates thinking?
Mary,
You have to be kidding about the Facebook status update!! That's incredible. And it is indeed very interesting now to have this social media capability. I too go on their Facebook page or even LinkedIn just to see what I can. It's very eye opening.
But the process is also somewhat disconcerting, and perhaps even frightening to see people's judgment or lack thereof. Now don't get me wrong, I do know there are great candidates out here that do really good work. I just wonder about the rest of them in what they're thinking.
With this reliance on online communication, it seems there's a lack of development on the interpersonal side. However, I'm still holding out that human interaction will win time and time again. I just hope more people start to get it and will focus on sharpening that skill again.
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