Just in case you didn't know already, BigPimpinDaddy@whateveryourdomainis.com is not a professional email address. The same goes for resumes with smiley faces and cutesy layouts. The last thing that you want to do is to show a hiring manager that you are unprofessional. To them, your resume, cover letter and interview are the first tasks that you will be asked to perform for the company. If you aren't able to accurately gauge what is appropriate and what isn't, then they would believe that it would be unlikely that you would be able to do your job in a way that is professional and appropriate.
Even though this should be common sense, hiring managers still report that they get resumes that scream “unprofessional” on a regular basis. While some mistake are easier to make than others, they still almost guarantee that you won't be getting a job offer.
- Using shared or cute email addresses – Believe it or not, this is the top complaint that recruiters and hiring managers have. All too often, they receive resumes where the contact email is something like JimandBett@domain.com or TheJoneses@domain.com or Daisysforever@domain.com. Email addresses are free and easy to get. There is absolutely no excuse not to have one of your own. It is a good idea to set up a new account just for your job search. This way, all of your job-related contacts stay in one account and you don't have to worry that an important one will be overlooked or filtered into your spam folder. Another benefit is that you can check your job-related email without getting distracted by your personal inbox.
- Not proofreading – It always amazes me how many people submit resumes with many spelling and grammar errors. You should always use spell-check, but even that isn't enough. Proofread the document and then have a friend, whose opinion you trust, read over it again. This document is your first impression and you should take great pains to be sure that it is free from errors. Additionally, be sure that your dates and employment history match up. If the dates are confusing or it leaves the employer with questions, most likely they aren't going to waste their time to ask you. They will just move on to the next resume.
- Sending in pictures – Unless you are looking for work as a model or actor, sending a headshot along with your resume is almost always a bad idea. I realize that it is commonplace in parts of Europe, but attaching a picture or a graphic along with your resume will confuse a resume scanning program. Also, whoever is screening the resumes will be very hesitant to pass along your resume because they don't want to be accused of being prejudiced against your age, appearance, gender or race if they don't end up giving you the job. So, to prevent any sort of discrimination, they will just toss the resume and err on the side of caution. Believe it or not, there are managers who report being sent bikini pictures and other types of non-professional images.
- Silly voicemail greetings – It may be fun to have a silly voicemail greeting or a call tune of your favorite party song, but when you are looking for a job, it is best to just remove these. When a potential employer calls you to set up an interview, they are making judgments about what type of employee you are. This means that your voicemail should be professional. It should clearly state your name and invite the caller to leave you a message. During your job search, you should also try to keep other people from answering your phone. It may be cute to others, but when an employer calls and ends up talking to a jealous boyfriend who keeps asking why you are calling and making threats or a small child who doesn't know to give the phone to an adult, they will just hang up and not call back.
Presenting a professional image is the most important thing in your job search. If you think that you are guilty of any of these mistakes, take some time to re-evaluate your job search so that you can start over with a new professional image.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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