Job search mistakes you don’t want to make

Dear Sam:

I work as a hiring manager and I see candidates making critical mistakes all the time when applying for our open positions. Would you share with readers some of the biggest job search blunders to avoid?

Dear Underwhelmed:

It’s unfortunate when candidates spend time applying for jobs, only to be overlooked due to mistakes that can be avoided. Candidates oftentimes haphazardly appear disingenuous, unprofessional and careless. Avoid leaving a negative impression on hiring managers by steering clear of the following missteps.

It is very frustrating to try to contact someone, only to receive an “undeliverable” message. Hiring managers sometimes run into this problem with candidates who use their college email addresses after graduating without realizing that their email addresses have expired. If you recently graduated, transition all your email communication to a personal email account. Likewise, never use your company email account for your job search.

Cute or funny email addresses have no place in professional documents or communications. Avoid listing your birth year in your email address so your age is not on display. Similarly, if you are still using what some consider an outdated email provider like Hotmail or AOL, I recommend updating it to a more modern Gmail or Outlook.

As a final note about email — be sure all of your email communication is written professionally. There is a huge difference between a text message and an email. At the minimum, include a salutation, a nice greeting, a few sentences about why you’re emailing, and an ending.

Targeting your resume and cover letter to the jobs you’re applying for is very important. If a hiring manager receives an application for an administrative position from someone with all photography-related experience, he or she is not going to draw the connection between why that person is a good fit.

Avoid wasting everyone’s time by applying for jobs that you are over- or underqualified for. The job requirements, qualifications are listed in the job description. Make sure it makes sense for you to apply.

While avoiding typos should be common sense, a 2013 CareerBuilder survey found that 58 percent of resumes have typos. If a resume or cover letter has typos, a hiring manager will most likely assume the candidate lacks attention to detail. In addition to misspellings, referencing an incorrect job title or company name is usually immediate grounds for tossing a candidate’s resume. Triple check for accuracy and have someone else review them.

A vague Objective Statement does nothing to differentiate you as a candidate and does not make it clear why a hiring manager should offer you an interview. Opening your resume with a Qualifications Summary that showcases the pillars of your candidacy is better use of the valuable real estate at the top of your resume.

As a candidate, make sure your resume, cover letter and communications are memorable — for the right reasons. The last thing you want to do is end up on a hiring manager’s list of hiring horror stories. Samantha Nolan is a certified professional resume writer and owner of Nolan Branding. Reach her at dearsam@nolanbranding. com, visit nolanbranding.com or call 614-570-3442 or 1-888-9523928. Meet her on Facebook, live on Thursdays at 12:15 p.m. EDT, for an extended discussion of this week’s Dear Sam topic.