I will say it because it has happened before! I have made huge mistakes as a recruiter earlier. What was worse is that I actually thought at one moment I was great and everything, I have done was right where the reality was the exact opposite. But when I actually started to speak to the candidates, I actually realized I have annoyed a lot of recruiters in the past. But I definitely don’t want any of you to make any more mistakes. So here are some things that drive all recruiters crazy and if you are doing it, you should stop doing it right away!
Things that Recruiters dislike seeing in your CV:
1. Confusion with the verb tense:
If you have been describing a current role or maybe a responsibility, you have to remember to use present tense verbs. The roles you have played earlier and the activities that have taken place in the past, you must remember to use a few past tense verbs for that. This is the most common mistake that we often see among CVs and it definitely does drive the recruiters crazy. This is the first thing you should avoid among them.
2. Adding things that are too personal:
Also you should never make the mistake of adding things that are way too personal. This includes your religion, your hobbies and your current marital status. The piece of information might not be helpful when it comes to deciding if a candidate has been qualified for a role or not so you should actually just leave it to your resume.
3. Not having your results put:
As you all must be knowing, a resume is pretty boring. Nobody likes reading one. So you will make it all the more boring by not adding your results. Always remember that the numbers are needed. Make your resume worth reading. Add some effective points in it to make it interesting..
4. Writing a functional resume:
Recruiters go crazy when they see a functional resume. When managers are looking for someone to hire, they want to learn the entire story of the candidate. The resume does not have positions that have been written in a manner that is chronological as it makes these people far more nervous and gives them thoughts that the candidate must be hiding something. Maybe they have a secret they don’t want to talk about!
5. Adding personal pronouns:
When you are writing a resume, please don’t add any I or me. Instead of using such words, you should write it in a different way. Just don’t mention yourself directly. There are several ways you could do that!
6. Your scores:
Now here you will find no upside. If the score is low, that will certainly not put the best food forward. In case the score is too high, you could look slightly arrogant when you are adding it. You are actually simply better off, if you leave it unless the employer has specifically asked you to mention it. (When we speak of your scores, we are actually talking about your GMAT, LSAT and SAT scores)
7. Adding an objective:
There is no reason for you to add an objective. That will just take up way too much space. Everyone has this objective that they want to look for a position that will utilize their skill sets and help them create the company of their dreams. You may add a summary right towards the top of some resume. You may add a few more sentences and add some bullets where you can mention your skills and previous experiences. This will become much more useful instead of mentioning objectives.
8. Adding paragraphs:
Another common mistake most people make while writing a resume is that they keep adding paragraphs to it. Now that is something certainly not needed. You don’t have to make your resume so boring. There is no need to add so many paragraphs one after the other. You may simplify things for yourself by just adding a couple of bullet points. That will certainly make things much more simple and easy read. So do your recruiter a favour and stop making things hard for them.
9. Making spelling errors:
You really need to stop making spelling errors. If you have been doing them already, we would suggest you to stop doing right away. Spelling errors are not just the worst mistakes you could be making but also a big spoiler. It will ruin your boss’s mood and give you very little scope in order to succeed. So if you really want to do well and make a good impression, please listen to us and stop making any kind of spelling errors. You will be making your recruiters life much more simple in that way.
10. Putting way too many words on a single page:
If you add way too many words on your resume, that would be just too bad. Not only will it ruin their mood but also ruin yours which I am sure most of you would like to avoid. Resumes usually tend to be an eight point font with margins that are a quarter inch and can fit within one page. They are absolutely unnecessary and will never be able to read enough. A one page resume is nothing less than a myth. In case you have around 3 to 4 years of experience, you should have to right a lot more than one page. This does not mean it has to go on for five pages, around two to three pages is certainly acceptable for those who are professional.
What Recruiters hate to see among most job seekers?
These are some of the top qualities you should avoid if you want to impress recruiters
1. Having zero excitement:
Now this is one quality that will really make them unhappy. Some people who are looking for jobs tend to be really boring. This not only will put your recruiter off and make them want to remove you off their list right away. If you want to make a good impression, please try to show some kind of enthusiasm. You should look excited.
2. A resume that cannot be read:
A resume that cannot be read is probably one of the worst things that you can ever offer your recruiter. Everyone wants something that can be read and understood and if you aren’t able to provide that to your recruiter than that’s just sad. You should be able to mention everything that is important in your resume. This will in fact create a better impression of you on the resume.
3. There is no need to force anything on a page:
You don’t have to force anything down on a piece of paper. Paper two is also there. Computers are also the best option here. This will help your recruiters go down to the second page within a few seconds. People who have told you that resumes have to be confined to just a page, must be more than 95 years old who lives in an entirely different generation altogether.
4. Not attending interviews:
If you have been making such mistakes, then we would ask you to stop doing it right away. This is one of the major things that not just drives recruiters crazy but also puts them off big time. Attending interviews is highly important. You should never miss out on any of them. After all, such opportunities come only once in a life. So why give up on any of them? In fact, it could be the interview of your life. So do yourself a favour and make sure to grab every single opportunity.
Other Annoying Habits that Drive Recruiters Mad!
1. Dropping your name (everything you need to know about it):
I am personally proud of the school that I went to. On rare occasions, the soccer team is decent, that sort of pride can be a bit hard to control. But of course, if the hiring manager asks you a certain kind of question about the places you went, you can always rub up one of your recruiters in the wrong way so that you can constantly keep getting into this conversation.
Why it really matters?
Yes it will be a little unfair if we say that all the candidates who speak too much about their life in college are trying all methods they know in order to hire managers. But of course this can get a little too tiring to always hear those stories about the experiences you have had on the quad that is 150 years old. Plus if you really went to a good school and the recruiter really cares about it, he will obviously want to see that in the resume.
Why should you mention it?
Of course recruiters will be able to relate at how horrible the dining halls food has been and how the team you rooted for played so well that one year, but in case they are trying to steer the conversation as to why you would be the right job for that person, you still have to put down the scarf and see that all questions that are being asked have been answered well.
2. Trying to follow up using the phone (All you must know about it):
Not every single company will make it obvious that you don’t have to follow up once you have given up your application. However, you must also agree that the follow up call can really be very annoying. Some of you actually think that it will help you, but to be very honest this phone call is certainly not looked forward to.
How should you go about it?
There are so many ways that you can use if you would like to follow up on the application. You may also use some of your LinkedIn connections to check in case you know people who can really put up a good word. You may also seek some sort of recruiter who is there for a meet up or maybe some job fair. Come up with an informational interview that can help you connect with someone there.
What should you not do?
No matter what you do, you have to avoid making that follow up call. Yes we understand you can feel impatient at times and you want things move fast but always remember that it is very important to know that some of the best departments who recruit have some smart cool processes. And these processes do not often give them the permission to get back instantly to you.
3. Coming up with thank you notes:
Do not ever make the mistake of coming up with any kind of thank you note that is impersonal in nature. That could be one of the worst mistakes you could ever make. Even though there are a few great templates and ideas, we would tell you to avoid it since it can really become a bad idea. Recruiters do not usually enjoy the idea of you sending notes to them about the interview. So be smart enough not to do it. If someone wants to hire you, they will hire you. Nothing can really stop you!
This brings the post to an end. Most recruiters are annoyed by these things which is why we feel you should avoid them. Of course you don’t have to get all tensed. Just make sure to keep away from these things! If you have enjoyed reading this post, let us know in the comments below. In case there are questions you have in mind, don’t forget to post that either. We would love to answer all of them! On that note, good luck and don’t drive your recruiters crazy!
