Over the past two months, I have received many resumes by email and in person, that have left me shaking my head. Some people seem great on paper, but have zero communication skills when speaking with them. Seeing as all jobs that I know of service people, communication is a key component to success. Furthermore, I have seen a plethora of outfits and resume presentations that have made me wonder whatever happened to the concept of dressing up for an interview and to selling yourself in the best way possible!?
It is completely up to the job candidate to sell themselves, rather than being up to me to force information out of them! I have had mumbling, fumbling, people come knocking with boring resumes that are written in the universal default font of Times New Roman, and who speak quietly to the point where I can barely hear them, or have others who yell and laugh nervously like hyenas. People have shown up dressed in torn jeans, dirty jackets, muddy runners, running outfits, and the Vancouver special - the sporty rain jacket - to a fashion boutique where I am hiring a fashion stylist / sales associate. Why would I want my customers who I love, to work with that?
Even if you are applying for a job where the dress will be casual or be of a sort that will need to get dirty, it shows total disrespect to the business in question, in my opinion, to show up in anything less than your nicest outfit when handing in your resume or for an interview.
Here are a few things that I would have loved to have interested candidates do before applying at my business:
* Do some research before going into a business that you might want to work in, or you may never get your shot at the job due to attire, demeanor, and your resume layout.
* Look at the company's website and go in as a potential customer to see what they sell, and what the other employees are like before applying.
* Learn about what the company does from a social standpoint to ask yourself if they are a company you would be proud to work for.
* practice speaking clearly and introducing yourself. You will most likely need to speak with others and communicate on the telephone and by email in any job, so fine tune these skills and practice them regularly if you are someone who has trouble in social settings.
* Don't apply to a workplace just for the sake of applying as you create extra work for the owner or person in charge of hiring. Get serious about where you want to work and go for that job instead of handing out resumes like cards in a game of 52 Pick-Up.
* Every company needs to sell their product or service, so make sure you tell the business how you plan on selling their specific services or products. Highlight any sales and service awards you have won.
*References should be from previous customers of yours and employers rather than any personal references. The employer will care about your work performance, not how much your Mother or Aunt Bessie loves you.
*Answer your phone professionally instead of sounding like you are high on Quaaludes, and change your email address to something professional instead of "sexypants@..com!"
Once you have done all of these things, get your best outfit together and get ready to sell yourself. Those who present themselves in their best way possible, will never be out of a job in any field and in any economy. Some of the people who I have had apply to my business, have made it clear that I would rather work all of the hours myself than to give a job to someone who can't even take the time to find out what I sell before applying for the job in an outfit that looks like they have either just been mugged, or have just gotten out of bed.
Thank you to those out there who try their best and respect the businesses that they are applying to, regardless of the size of them. Employees make or break any business, so thank you to every employee out there who gives 110%!
