Backbone Magazine - cruising today’s hot job market? here ’s what not to do

The future for job seekers is looking quite bright. According to Deloitte’s 2006 CEO Survey, just about every North American tech CEO wants to increase staffing levels in the coming year. At the same time, many worry there are not enough qualified candidates out there.

So it’s a good time for the upwardly mobile, but not if you’re stupid about your job search. Staffing company OfficeTeam recently asked office professionals: “What is the biggest mistake you’ve heard of someone making during a job search?” Here’s what came back:

> “Someone interviewed for a position and was not given the job. But he showed up anyway, saying, ‘Here I am!’”

> “Someone tried to bribe me during the interview. She really wanted the job and asked how much she could pay me for it.”

> “One gentleman submitted a resume that contained misspelled words and had an orange juice stain.”

> “I interviewed someone who had a jawbreaker in her mouth during the entire interview.”

> “When asked what he had been doing while unemployed, the applicant said, ‘Staying home and watching TV.’”

> “Applicants have shown up in torn shirts, blue jeans and flip flops.”

> “A job seeker wrote on her application, ‘My boss was a jerk so I quit.’”

Over at another staffing firm, Accountemps, the question was slightly different: executives were asked to describe the most inappropriate comments candidates made during employment interviews.

> “An applicant stated that there was nothing I could tell him he didn’t already know; he said he knew everything about our business.”

> “A person argued that the requirements for hiring were wrong, and then fell asleep.”

> “One candidate was 25 minutes late for his interview and was upset with me for being annoyed by his tardiness.”

> “An individual applied for a customer service job, and when asked what he might not like about the job, he said, ‘Dealing with people.’”