You're Looking for Work? Please Be Professional

I spend my days talking with people who say they are trying to find work. One thing that I find to be all too common is unprofessional behavior that I can almost guarantee is costing these people good opportunities. So here is a list of my personal pet peeves and my suggestions for better methods:

1. Just because you are unemployed now does not mean that you do nothing. I can’t even begin to tell you how many people respond to the question, “What work do you do?” by saying they are unemployed or they don’t do anything. This is a big turn off and a time waster for anyone who is seriously talking about employment.

When I ask someone what they do I am looking for two very important pieces of information: a). what experience does this person have; and, b). what do they think of themselves? A person who says they are unemployed or they don’t do anything as answer to this question shows a lack of self-esteem and a lack of respect for my time.

If you are currently unemployed and someone asks this question, tell them what your experience is, or what you want your new career to be. This is a basis for a serious conversation, it shows self-respect and my bet is it will lead to employment opportunities.

The flip side of this is: if someone asks you what type of work you are looking for, be specific. Too many times, especially at job fairs, I ask what someone is looking for and they say, “Any kind of work.” What that means to a potential employer is you don’t care about what they have to offer, so they aren’t offering.

2. Return a Call. I receive 10-20 resumes a day at my desk and I make a good faith effort to call every one of them within 24 hours to discuss their situation. Maybe I’m unusual in wanting to make personal contact with every applicant, but I think it is only fair.

80% of the phone calls I make to these resumes result in my leaving a message or a voicemail for the applicant. Do you have any idea how many of those messages are returned? Would you be shocked if I told you that less than 10% return the call? I was when I realized it.

These are people who say they are looking for work. They receive a message from me saying I received their resume and I would like to discuss it. You would think they would return the call. It is obvious that they are not serious about getting employed.

I am unusual in the fact that I am persistent in trying to reach these people. I make 4-5 calls before I give up, and even more if I have to and you’re trying to reach me too.

We are all busy. Everyone has a million excuses to not return a call. No-one wants to hear those excuses, especially not a potential employer. Return your calls.

3. Don’t give a lot of personal information on the phone. When someone calls to discuss your resume on the phone they want to know about work experience and your career. They do not need to know about your babysitting and transportation challenges, or your desperate need for health insurance coverage, or how much you disliked your last employer, or job or boyfriend.

All of those things are reasons for an employer to stop pursuing you as a potential employee. An employer can’t ask these things, but they can act on them if you tell them. Keep your conversation on topic, positive and brief.

4. Be professional in email and voicemail. This is a broad topic that is vitally important. It starts with your email address. If your email address is Boozer382 or Sexyhippy, those might be fun for your friends, but they tell a potential employer things that you don’t really want them to know. Get an email address that is your name. It could be costing opportunities.

You can imagine, from what I said about the resumes I get, that I make a lot of phone calls during the day. Most people who deal with resumes do. We don’t want to spend time listening to your favorite song, or a long complicated greeting. We especially don’t want greetings that fool us into thinking you have answered the phone. Be professional and be brief. Potential employers may not be leaving messages for you and they’re not calling back.

5. Please be careful how you dress. I see people at Job Fairs all the time who look like they just rolled out of bed and probably slept in the clothes they are wearing. When I meet with people in my office I let people know that it is all right to dress casually for our first meeting if they wish to.

Be careful what you wear, though, even to an informational meeting. At the very least be neat and clean. And please don’t wear revealing or sexy clothing. I can’t tell you how many times I have sat down for a conversation in my office with a woman who is wearing a low-cut top or a skirt that is too tight or too short. This causes embarrassment for me and often for the person wearing the clothes.

Facial piercing and tattoos are becoming prevalent in our society, yet most employers won’t allow them at work. Don’t wear them to an interview or a Job Fair. The only thing you do when you sport piercings or tattoos is let people know that you are not employable. Is that the message you want to send?

Wear something that is comfortable and appropriate for the meeting you are having.

Bottom line, if you want to be an employee act like an employee. You never know for sure where your next job is coming from or who is going to be important in helping you find it or get it. There are some simple and common sense things you can do to increase your chances. Most important just think before you do or say anything.