Avoid these mistakes when applying for a new job

We've all heard stories of personal interviews and work, where things did not go so well, like that enthusiastic young man who brought   his food in an interview because it came at lunchtime .

But the first impression usually begins long before the interview, as it begins with the introductory speech facility autobiographical, as well as its presentation, which often are not free of errors.

Site "BBC Capital" asked a number of employees and trainers in the field of employment and managers of some companies about their experiences with the worst mistakes they see in job applications and how to treat them.

Copy and paste * 

Writing every word in your C V with your hand, make sure that every character you wrote is true 

Copies of the biography of one of the sites may cause you to mistakes, and you will be surprised what  they carry does not represent you

 Do not forget the introductory speech 

(Toss the form letter)  *

Do not send a generic cover letter, ever. Instead, share a bit of who you are and how that might relate to the position for which you are applying. Spend a few minutes Googling the firm. If you have a contact's name, Google that person, too.

Be selective

Executive career coach Irene McConnell has clients who tell her they apply to more than 100 jobs per week. This is a big mistake, according to the director of Sydney-based Arielle Careers.

“The recruiters remember your name and begin to associate it with ‘that dude/gal who spams me every time I put a job ad up’,” McConnell said.

Think of it like a house that’s on the market for too long. You start wondering what’s wrong with it and why it won’t sell.

Don’t think recruiters don’t know which applications have made the rounds. Some tell-tale signs: a resume and cover letter that are completely non-aligned, the wrong recruiter's name or an incorrect role of interest, according to McConnell. The recruiting world is a lot smaller than you might think.

“If you damage your reputation in the eyes of recruiters, it will be more difficult to get a call back even when you put a thought-through application in,” McConnell said.

Keep photos to yourself

Roy Cohen, a New York-based veteran career counsellor and executive coach, remembers when a new client included an image of herself in a bikini in her application packet.

She had come to him for job search advice and strategy because she was frustrated that she wasn’t getting beyond the first round or getting many interviews.

“In advance of our first session, I asked her to provide me with a little background, a resume, and a sample cover letter,” said Cohen in an email. “That's how I discovered her very wrong approach.”

She wanted to work in marketing for a hedge fund and told Cohen that she knew that hedge funds typically hired "babes,” so she thought the photo might give her the upper hand.

While it is quite common in Europe to include a photo of oneself when applying for jobs – and sometimes it is even requested by companies – it is not expected and is often frowned upon in the US. Even where it is expected, keep it professional and current.

Cohen counselled his client against the use of the photo, not just for its inappropriateness but also because it was quite dated. “Imagine the awkwardness when you discover that a candidate has misrepresented the facts. In this case, by submitting a photo that is 10 plus years old,” said Cohen. “In addition to feeling like a ‘bait and switch’ occurred, interviewers are likely to wonder if the candidate is delusional or simply prone to lying.”

Shikha Arora, senior recruiter with SAP Asia, who is based in Singapore, has had other photo issues. “I received [an] application from an experienced professional from Hong Kong. The file size was 14 MB and I was taken aback to see more than 10 pictures shared in the document,” she wrote in an email. Some of the images were of the applicant receiving rewards and other showed him doing a favourite hobby. 

“In my opinion, not the best way to tell and sell your story,” she said.

Follow instructions

Emily LaRusch, founder of Phoenix-based virtual receptionist services firm Back Office Betties, likes to test applicants’ attention to detail right from the start. Recently, she included in a job posting two straightforward instructions and a mention that anyone who didn’t apply as instructed wouldn’t be considered.

She received more than 30 applications in two days; only three people followed the instructions, and only one of them had a good command of English grammar. She is the only one who LaRusch is even considering for the post.

“This is supposed to be where applicants put their best foot forward, so I can’t take a gamble on someone who can’t follow the first instructions I give,” said LaRusch.

Don’t be too sure of yourself

Amy Silverman, managing editor of Phoenix New Times, recently advertised a food critic opening on the newspaper’s food blog. What she quickly learned: “Everyone eats so everyone feels like they could make a great food critic.”

More troubling, Silverman found that a lot of people out there don’t take the application process very seriously. Whether it’s refusing to submit a resume or making up excuses, she’s seen it all. As one applicant put it, "I don’t have a resume. I’m a business owner and, quite frankly, have complete disregard for resumes. They’re snapshots of what a person wants you to know, not a synopsis of who a person really is. That type of understanding can only be gained through interaction."

Needless to say, Silverman didn’t give the applicant a second glance. Another applicant talked about “wetting” one’s appetite and another who mentioned her own “little to none experience in food.”

Her advice: “If you want a job writing, don’t send a cover letter with typos and grammar errors.”