What are the top 5 things job seekers do that annoy you?

I'm putting together some presentation material and would love to get YOUR LIST, as a recruiter, or the top things candidates to that annoy you.  You can give me three, or ten... I'm going to try and compile a good list of 5 (or 10) common things.

Note that my website, JibberJobber.com, is used by job seekers to track and organize their job search. I've read a number of times (here and in other places) that recruiters are highly annoyed when job seekers aren't organized, to the point of seeming dissinterested, when you call them to follow-up on an opening.  I'm guessing (hoping?) that this is in the top 5 annoyances.

So, what do you got?  What bugs you about candidates?

Views: 1787

Comment by Lisa A, Doorly on July 25, 2012 at 8:52am

I have 3 but I am sure others will list some I have not includedI:

1.  State you are interested in Career Opportunities on LinkedIn - but your profile is practically non existent

2.  Call me every day - wanting a status update

3.  Curse me out (yes I am not kidding) because you were not moved forward in the process - and yes I am talking about a specific word directed towards me!

4.  Don't do your homework prior to the interview - i.e., "What does your company do" "What is the job - I applied for so many I can't remember which one this is"

5.  Chew gum in my ear

Some of these seem like no brainers but when they happen more than once - makes me wonder.

Comment by Bonnie Skara on July 25, 2012 at 9:05am

After informing them that they aren't a fit and not moving forward in the interview process, they call the client directly to ask why and or ask for another opportunity.......I mean really? what are they thinking?

Comment by Jason Alba on July 25, 2012 at 9:53am

Awesome!  And us job seekers can tend to think you don't work that hard, and collect huge commission checks... clearly you are working for your money :p \

Thanks for sharing everyone...!

Comment by Jason Alba on July 25, 2012 at 10:01am

Sean, I hear you. In my comment I was talking about how mispercieved recruiters are... anyway, keep the pet peeves about job seekers coming. I'll take this back to the job seekers I speak to (I speak around the country to job seekers), and help them understand some of the mistakes they are making, especially when working with recruiters.

Comment by Julia Briggs on July 25, 2012 at 11:14am

a. say yes to being put forward and then come up with all the niggles

b. try and push themselves into the right shape for the role and when you give honest and helpful feedback, get offended....

c. not listen

d. be all over you like a rash when they want something and then be very disdainful when you try and keep a 'relationship' going

Comment by Patricia Morrison on July 25, 2012 at 11:27am

#1 absolute annoyance:  Blowing the first interview by not being at their best.  Not doing due diligence about the company, not being focused, talking way too much, talking way too much about how they were done wrong by their last employer.  And all of this after spending lots of time on a prep call coaching on these very topics.  If a candidate does this, I've gotten to a point where I cut them loose.  Sometimes I get attached and it's hard but I give it my all and I expect the same in return.  Especially when the candidate is not footing the bill.  Thanks for letting me vent.  And there are lots of great candidates out there.

Comment by Arianne Bachove on July 25, 2012 at 4:33pm

I agree with pretty much everything everyone has said so far. I'd like to add to the list a horrible resume. I understand not everyone is a whiz at this but who doesn't have spell check. I can't stand spelling and grammatical errors. Have some pride in your resume. This is my (and the potential employer's) first impression. I don't know how many countless hours I've spent cleaning up resumes, and in some cases, rewriting them altogether!

Comment by Sarah Mullens on July 25, 2012 at 6:36pm

This may seem a bit trivial, but my key bugbear is seeing cover letters addressed to someone other than myself, or with my name spelled incorrectly, followed by a CV that lists "attention to detail" as a key strength.  This is such a fundamental error and it emphasises the need for candidates to really pay attention when responding to ads. 

Comment by Amy Ala Miller on July 25, 2012 at 6:59pm

@Sarah not trivial at all that drives me NUTS! I even respond to people and kindly point out that they addressed it to the wrong company, but that if they are truly interested in my role/company to please let me know. I've done this a handful of times (if the candidate was truly qualified) and got ZERO response. I don't know if they're embarrassed for being called out or maybe they just don't care. Whatever it still bugs me. :)

Comment by Conor Lydon on July 25, 2012 at 7:17pm

One that really annoys me is the candidate not just telling the truth.  We are there to help (albeit on a win-win basis), however some candidates seem to think that pulling the wool over our eyes will benefit them in some way.  It's a hindrance on so many levels, most of all wasting their, the potential employer and my time.  Don't tell me that you want a permanent role if you only seek contracts - it's soul destroying once you have a permanent offer and they decline due to a contract on the table, even after you've quizzed them on the contents of their Resume and the fact they seem to be serial contractors - 'No I'm fed up of contracting, I want something more stable for my family' - this statement means nothing to me anymore.  Also, if you are represented to a company already, tell me. No point in double dropping Resume's all over the place. 

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