Infer or not to infer…

With the end of the year in sight, experienced recruiter Marilyn Jones shares a few key things to think about over the coming weeks that might be inferring things about you to potential employers and preventing you from achieving your dream job.

You are unemployed or looking for a new job. Your life revolves around applying for jobs every day – day in and day out. 

No one gets back to you and if they do it is unfortunately always a no.  

You do want to know the result either way, however the employers are busy with their own work commitments and sometimes it can take weeks to get a reply. It’s incredibly frustrating to not know what is going on.

Christmas is coming and it’s probably only going to slow down with regards to receiving a response until January and meanwhile you’re still out of work.

What do you do? Why is it a no? What is wrong with my application?

What is wrong with me? 

As a recruiter, I am starting to keep some hard stats on the reasons why I and my clients say no to candidates and their applications.

There are analytics in development, however some of the anecdotal experiences I have from hiring for my current clients are included below. 

If you review all my previous blogs most of them also have some indication of what not to do as well as what to do in your job search.  

With Christmas not too far away, I would like to highlight a few key things to think about over the coming weeks as to why you may not be achieving your dream job.     

1. Your CV is not set out well.

It shows a lack of attention to detail and no real indication of what you can do. 

This infers to me that if you have a lack of attention to detail in your CV then this could be what your attention to detail is going to be like working for me.

2. Your soft skills are written like this: 

“I am a hardworking, passionate and motivated individual who works hard in a busy environment and as part of a team. I work well under pressure and I am well organised.”

Everyone tells me this so why are you different?

Please see my previous blog on this: Why Not Me?

This infers that you can’t articulate your key capabilities in your CV to differentiate yourself.  So, could you do it on the job? And are you really any better than the next candidate?

3. You have not included a cover letter when asked, yet the other 40 candidates have.

Please see my previous blog To cover or not to cover.

What do I think if I asked for a cover letter and you have not sent one? I have to think, have you actually read the position description? And, have you done what I have asked? No.

If you have not done what I have asked, then this infers you might not do what an employer requests when asked. There is some concern here on your ability to take direction or do as requested.

4. Do you really want this role? Or have you just sent an application in hoping?

The quote below is from a recent candidate that we kept sending a “no” to. The candidate has applied to multiple roles that they are not suitable for:

“I intend to continue sending out my resumes, as a big part of winning for me in my search is big lead numbers.” 

This infers a lack of focus as they have not read the position description or addressed the key criteria. I have to ask, does this candidate really want the role and would they lack focus in the work they would be required to do for my client?

This also infers overconfidence in their abilities and a lack of understanding of their skill set for the role.

5. Are you too confident? 

A recent candidate indicated that because they had been a medical doctor in a particular field that every other role in the medical area was, and I quote, “peanuts”.

This was insulting to those who had undertaken years of physiotherapy, specialist medical information or regulatory training etc.

It inferred to me an innate arrogance. It was a definite no to this applicant.

6. Something not to do if you have an interview booked with a company. 

Instead of going through the hiring manager or HR manager that has organised the interview, you decide its ok to try to connect with everyone in the company via LinkedIn. Or connect by any other means to say how good you are and try and convince them that you would be great for the company. 

This infers a lack of understanding of social norms in the hiring process.

Naivety is ok, intention is another. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS! I had this happen recently. Luckily the client decided to still interview them. The candidate did not get the role though.  

These points are real examples. I hope it does not ring a bell for you and if it does, think about seeking some advice on your job search strategy. 

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and best wishes for the new year from myself and the team at mexec careers. 

About the author: Marilyn Jones is an executive recruiter experienced in resourcing staff for companies and assisting individuals with their careers. Working for both niche and multinational recruitment organisations, Jones has worked across multiple sectors in many industries and business sectors both in Australia and the UK. 

Each month Marilyn Jones will be exploring topics that are relevant to your career journey. She will be providing advice for job seekers entering and moving within the social sector. If you’d like insights into a particular topic, please email olivia@probonoaustralia.com.au.

Please note the views expressed are the opinion of Marilyn Jones and do not necessarily reflect the views of Pro Bono Australia, its staff or contributors.