- Too interested in starting salary
- Uncertainty on wants in job/career, or long-range goals
- Poor personal appearance
- Overbearing, overaggressive, conceited, "know-it-all"
- Inability to express self clearly - poor voice, diction, grammar
- Lack of interest and enthusiasm - passive, indifferent
- Lack of confidence and poise - nervous, ill at ease
- Poor scholastic record - just got by
- Unwilling to start at the bottom - expects too much too soon
- Makes excuses - evasiveness, hedges on unfavorable factors in record
- Lack of tact
- Condemnation of past employers
- Lack of maturity
- Lack of courtesy - ill-mannered
- Marked dislike for schoolwork
- Lack of vitality
- Fails to look interviewer in the eye
- Limp, fish handshake
- Loafs during vacations
- Unhappy married life
- Friction with parents
- Sloppy application blank
- Merely shopping around
- Wants job only for short time
- Little sense of humor
- No interest in company or in industry
- Lack of knowledge in field of specialization
- Parents make all major decisions
- Emphasis on whom he knows
- Cynical
- Lazy
- Intolerant - strong prejudices
- Narrow interests
- Inability to take criticism
- Lack of appreciation of the value of experience
- Late to interview without good reason
- Knows nothing about company
- Fails to express appreciation for interviewer's time
- Asks no questions about the job
Nobody likes to be rejected, but everybody goes through it at some time in his or her career. Remember that fact as you seek employment. Most people spend months searching, interviewing for dozens of jobs before they receive an appealing offer. When the economy is poor, months can even turn into years until the right position turns up. So don't get discouraged if you don't achieve instant success.
When you're first making the rounds, try not to be personally offended if potential employers don't return your calls. Realize that they may be busy doing their work and that your call represents an interruption in their day. Certainly not a priority.
Likewise, try not to take it personally if you are not offered a job after having what you consider a successful interview. You may feel that you are perfectly suited to handle a particular position, but the employer may not. There may be other candidates who have more experience, skills that more precisely match the job's responsibilities, lower salary requirements, or a personality more compatible with management practices. Often you may b^ rejected for reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with you.
Look upon every rejection as a learning experience. Try to determine why the outcome was not what you wanted. Look for specific ways to improve your presentation. Remember that finding a job is a numbers game: the more people you contact and the more interviews you have, the more likely you are to land a job.
Ask for What You Want
Some job hunters make the mistake of forgetting to ask for what they want. Either because they are too timid or because they assume the employer knows their intentions, many people find themselves unpleasantly surprised and disappointed during different phases of their job hunt.
At each step of the job hunt, keep your goal in mind and be sure to clearly communicate it to the appropriate people.
- When researching, don't just wander around the library waiting for the appropriate field to present itself. Work up a few topic areas from which to start. Ask the librarian for the kind of help you need-for example, where to find articles on manufacturing or where to find phone books for Denver.
- In your cover letter, remember to ask for the interview. Specify what you plan to do next: follow up with a phone call or a visit. Don't wait for the employer to call you. Follow up each letter promptly.
- In the interview, close by asking for the job (assuming you still want it). Tell interviewers that it's been a pleasure meeting them and that you'd enjoy working with them. Make it clear to them that you want the position. Be enthusiastic and positive.
- In your thank-you notes and in all other follow-up letters, state that you are well-suited to the responsibility and challenge of the position. At each phase of your job hunt a small goal should be clear in your mind. Sometimes stating these goals aloud and making them known to others can help you achieve them.
