One thing that’s apparent in writing a careers column is that readership changes based on personal job circumstances.
That means some oft-repeated topics — such as job interview etiquette — are new to some readers, no matter how repetitive the subject may seem to others.
So with apologies to some, I revisit this job-hunting advice:
Be sure your telephone behavior, both live and recorded, is as professional as if you were at a job interview in person.
Here’s why this needs saying:
“I had (an applicant) call, asking if we were hiring,” one human resources director told me. “I could hear him tinkle and then flush the toilet while he was leaving me a voice mail requesting a call back.”
His call was not returned.
Isolated cluelessness? Here’s another real-life example:
“I was calling to set up an interview with a candidate,” the hiring director said. “The candidate’s voice mail went something like this: ‘Hello, you have reached (name). If this is Roberta, I love ya, honey.’ ”
The man’s recorded greeting continued with comments about his favorite rock music groups and ended with him whistling.
“His message lasted over a minute. Needless to say, I went on to the next candidate,” the human resources officer said.
The job market is competitive. Anything that’s viewed as rude or indifferent to the hiring process can cause a job candidate to be passed over.
To be fair, the most common reactions I get to interview etiquette columns are complaints from applicants about unresponsive hiring managers.
After I wrote last week about the failure of employers to respond to job candidates after interviewing them, I fielded a lot of e-mails and calls from applicants who had not heard back.
Clearly, rudeness and indifference exist on both sides of the hiring process.
Many of the job hunters who responded to the column said they had taken pains to dress well, be polite, turn off their cell phones, ask informed questions, make eye contact, shake hands firmly and send thank you notes afterward.
But … zip in response, even in some instances when they were told they were strong candidates.
This may be the same-old, same-old message. But some people still need to read it.
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