DailyDirt: Stupiditry From Job Seekers

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Some mistakes are hard to avoid completely. Typos are usually forgivable, even when they result in some terrible misunderstandings. But job applicants are told time and time again that typos are horrendous errors, and anyone applying for a job should be especially careful about eliminating spelling mistakes and typing errors. However, focusing too much on simple errors could allow some much bigger mistakes to slide by. Here are just a few examples. If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: mistakes, nicolas cage, resume, stupidity, typos, vanessa hojda
Companies: careerbuilder


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  • icon
    Vog (profile), 16 Aug 2012 @ 4:57pm

    Nevermind the rainbow...

    ...please explain your rationale for Comic Sans.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 16 Aug 2012 @ 5:21pm

      Re: Nevermind the rainbow...

      That one almost made me spit out my dinner laughing. And I haven't even started eating yet.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Dionaea (profile), 16 Aug 2012 @ 5:20pm

    Antartican?

    You have to speak Whale to be eligible, dûh.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    MrWilson, 16 Aug 2012 @ 5:33pm

    I'll mention something that won't get you hired, directly from experience in which I chose not to consider someone who did this:

    Don't email the person who is hiring and state that you submitted an application during the previous round of hiring and was extremely surprised that you didn't get an interview because you're clearly going to be more qualified for the position than any other applicant.

    Also (and from the same applicant), don't send 5 emails with one file attachment each and claim that you're tech savvy. I also don't need scanned images of all of your certifications that have no bearing on the qualifications for the position. Sometimes more is just more and just annoying, not impressive.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Aug 2012 @ 6:02pm

    wont be hiring you ..

    Stupiditry

    what the Fuck does that word mean ??

    your lucky this is not a job application ..

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Aug 2012 @ 7:19pm

    "a bunch of numbers"

    I accidentally sent my potential future boss a picture of Nic Cage rather than my cover letter and resume, which was a zip file titled with a bunch of numbers

    Isn't naming the file with a bunch of numbers a good enough reason to toss the resume?

    (Also, the point of a cover letter is to get someone to look at the included file. It should be included inline, not hidden in an attachment.)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 16 Aug 2012 @ 7:31pm

    Blind links to stumble upon? Are you that desperate?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Headhunter, 16 Aug 2012 @ 8:10pm

    Lets face it for most people, there are always exceptions, the more technical competent a person is the more socially incompetent they are.

    Based on that for a technical competent person the best approach is to be as traditional (in the since of doing the things that have historically worked in getting technical jobs) as possible. Do not experiment. Do not change the procedure. If you do most likely you will loose.

    For the traditional US resume.

    Top of the page Name and contact information.

    Followed by a statement of what you are and what you do. No more than 3 or 4 lines.

    Follow this with 2 to 4 rows of 2 or 3 bullets per line. Mo more than 12 bullets total.

    Next comes experience in either a functional or chronicle order.

    No more than 2 pages. If the prospective employer wants 30 pages in a vita they will ask for it.

    If you are applying for a job in government there are special government application procedures which change with the government, fed., state, local, et. Do not use normal industrial procedure as the hiring thought pattern is completely different.

    Military and covert is another world. If you do not know what that means you are not socially qualified for the job. Technically maybe but the culture is radically different from civilian.

    Technical people will loose if they try gimmicks. Do not do it.

    Before sending e-mails consider the receiving person is not interest in a reason for not being able to do something story or any other form of excuse for incompetence or non performance no matter how good or true the story is.

    Keep it professional and if you do not know what that means watch old 1930s and 40 movies or some of the old 1950s and 1960s TV programs. We are not discussing ethics that is another level of professionalism but how one acts and presents them self.

    If you have trouble with speaking join Toastmasters. Some locations are very good - Down Town Chicago Clubs. Some locations are horrible. Many places are lacking this resource.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Kelso Grammar (profile), 16 Aug 2012 @ 8:48pm

      Re: Headhunter's blathering

      You certainly have made quite a few communication errors here. It's difficult to take seriously advice from someone who uses such poor spelling and grammar. You misspelled or misused: lose, let's, interested, since, downtown, technically-competent, résumé, himself, and chronological, among others.

      Beyond these simple errors, which stand out like a sore thumb, your advice is certainly not unique or new to anyone who has ever hunted for a job. What is unique is your reasoning, but I assure you that does not mean it is sound.

      Tell us, would you consider Stephen Hawking socially incompetent? How about Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson? He is quite technically-competent but also charismatic and engaging. Trotting out that old canard that nerds, geeks, and other technology savvy people are socially incompetent---and slipping in that weasel phrase "for most people"---will win you no respect, clients, or business.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 18 Aug 2012 @ 7:36pm

        Re: Re: Headhunter's blathering

        "...would you consider Stephen Hawking to be socially incompetent?". Ever seen "Superhero Movie"?

        link to this | view in chronology ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.