Are You Sending “Don’t Hire Me!” Messages?

Have you been looking for work for a bit but having no luck? If so you may be self-sabotaging your efforts or otherwise sending a message to a hiring manager that you shouldn’t get the job.
Read below for a few things you may be doing that are keeping a hiring manager from asking “So, when can you start?”

  • You come unprepared for the interview. Being unprepared comes in several forms: You haven’t researched the company and know how it ranks within its sector. You haven’t prepared a list of questions. You got lost coming to the interview because you didn’t double check on directions at least the day before the interview, etc.
  • You have too many unexplained gaps in your work history. Everyone loses a job. Many people need to take time off from work to take care of family members. Employers understand this and so a gap or two over several years won’t raise too many red flags. But if you work at one place for six months, then don’t work for two, work at the next employer for eight months, don’t work for five and then work at an employer for only two months, an employer will want to have a very good explanation as to why.  In other words, many gaps followed by short stints at one or more companies indicate that you’re a job hopper. Employers don’t want to hire job hoppers.
  • You can’t provide any references. Even people looking for their first job will have teachers, pastors, volunteer coordinators, etc. who can vouch for them. If you don’t provide references, an employer will think you can’t find anyone who will say that you’re reliable, that you work hard and that you have the skills you say you do. It also could tell an employer that you’ve been fired too many times and will wonder why.
  • You talk trash about your last employer and/or supervisor. Yes, employers and supervisors can be nasty and vile people. But you still should never – as in never, ever! – talk negatively about a former employer. The interviewer knows he or she is hearing just your side of the story and will wonder how much is true and how much is not. Plus, no one likes to hire negative people and no matter how much you may be justified in complaining, keep it to yourself.

If looking for work in the Seattle, Anchorage, Portland, Lake Oswego, Chicago, or Tacoma areas, send your resume to the recruiters at the Opti Staffing Group. We can help you find terrific temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire opportunities with some of these cities’ top employers. Contact us today.

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