10 Surefire Ways to Annoy a Hiring Manager |
10 Surefire Ways to Annoy a Hiring Manager
By Alison Green Oct. 12, 2011
Don't forget the basics.
Want to annoy a hiring manager and lose out on the job? Here are 10 ways to do it.
1. Ignore application instructions.
Don't send your resume through postal mail rather than applying online as instructed. Other bad ideas: Ignoring the request for a cover letter and calling to follow up when the ad says "no calls."
2. Call to "schedule an interview."
Job-seekers don't get to decide to schedule the interview; employers do, and it's overly pushy to pretend otherwise.
3. Be difficult to schedule a conversation with.
Taking days to respond to an email or phone message or being inflexible about what times you can meet will make an employer wonder why they're bothering, when there are plenty of other well-qualified candidates who will make themselves available.
4. Follow up repeatedly.
They have your application; if they're interested, they'll contact you. Follow-up calls, especially repeated ones, are the bane of many hiring managers and HR reps.
5. Arrive late for your interview.
Hiring managers assume that candidates are on their best behavior during the hiring process. If you can't get to the interview on time, they'll assume that you'll be unreliable once on the job.
6. Arrive overly early for your interview.
It's good to plan to arrive early so you have a buffer against being late, but kill those last 20 minutes at a nearby coffee shop, not in the company's reception area. Aim to walk in five minutes early, but no more than that.
7. Be unprepared for your interview.
The interview isn't the time for the hiring manager to explain the basics of the job description or what the company does; you're expected to show up already knowing that.
8. Ask questions that focus solely on salary and benefits.
This signals that you're interested only in compensation and aren't putting thought into the details of the job and the company.
9. Call repeatedly and hang up when you get voicemail.
Calling, hanging up when you get voicemail, and then trying again half an hour later, and repeating this cycle in the hopes of getting a live person on the other end of the phone is a bad idea.
10. Angrily challenge their decision not to hire you.
It's frustrating to get rejected for a job you thought you were perfect for. But don't show your frustration—or worse, anger—to the employer. You'll guarantee you won't be considered for future openings there.
|
|