# Job Applicants - Try not to be an idiot on your first impression **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 24, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257 "2009-02-24T19:51:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Smitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Smitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smitty)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/1 "2009-02-24T19:51:50Z")
I have a tech support position open. I have posted an ad on Craigslist. The posting clearly says to go to our website and apply online. It specifically says “no phone calls.” So far, in under 5 hours, I have gotten 12 resumes via email and one phone call. The cream of the crop thus far has been one woman who not only responded via email, she misspelled the word “sincerely” in her email. And, on top of that, when I opened her resume, it was a blank template! Yes. You read that right. The resume had no information. It was a Word template that still contained the place markers saying things like, “[Type objective here]”. In **this** economy why in the name of all that is good and holy would you do anything other than triple check to make sure you are making the best possible impression you can? I am bloody flabbergasted. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/2 "2009-02-24T19:55:34Z")
I once received a resume from a woman who typed her entire resume in strikethrough. [del]It is mind boggling that she thought anyone would be able to read something like this![/del] I threw it away. Other jewels in that batch included resumes with cover letters for completely different companies and resumes with objectives like, “I would like to write for television someday” when applying for a health insurance position. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/3 "2009-02-24T19:57:32Z")
Hmm, I’m looking for a job. Where are you? ---
**Author:** ![Borborygmi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/borborygmi/32/217_2.png) [@Borborygmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Borborygmi)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/4 "2009-02-24T20:12:09Z")
> [@Smitty](#): > > Yes. You read that right. The resume had no information. It was a Word template that still contained the place markers saying things like, “[Type objective here]”. Hey, [Your name] is doing the best she can. The skills needed for [Describe your career goal or ideal job] probably have little or no correlation with the skills needed for creating a perfect resume. I say bring [Your name] in for an interview… you just might discover she has the experience in [Professional or technical skill], [Professional or technical skill], and [Professional or technical skill] that you are looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Hakuna\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hakuna\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hakuna_Matata)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/5 "2009-02-24T20:13:20Z")
> [@pbbth](#): > > I once received a resume from a woman who typed her entire resume in strikethrough. [del]It is mind boggling that she thought anyone would be able to read something like this![/del] I threw it away. Other jewels in that batch included resumes with cover letters for completely different companies and resumes with objectives like, “I would like to write for television someday” when applying for a health insurance position. Was this a word document or a .pdf and not a paper resume? The reason I ask is that I have noticed on rare occasion visually the text is correct on the word document, but when I print to .pdf I will get the strikethrough thing happen. Not sure why, but perhaps that explains it…or maybe she was just an idiot 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/6 "2009-02-24T20:17:51Z")
> [@Borborygmi](#): > > Hey, [Your name] is doing the best she can. The skills needed for [Describe your career goal or ideal job] probably have little or no correlation with the skills needed for creating a perfect resume. I say bring [Your name] in for an interview… you just might discover she has the experience in [Professional or technical skill], [Professional or technical skill], and [Professional or technical skill] that you are looking for. I got a good chuckle out of this. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/7 "2009-02-24T20:18:23Z")
> [@Hakuna\_Matata](#): > > Was this a word document or a .pdf and not a paper resume? The reason I ask is that I have noticed on rare occasion visually the text is correct on the word document, but when I print to .pdf I will get the strikethrough thing happen. Not sure why, but perhaps that explains it…or maybe she was just an idiot 😃 This was a word document. I don’t even care if it was an accident, I wasn’t about to try and decipher that mess! ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/8 "2009-02-24T20:30:39Z")
> [@Smitty](#): > > I have a tech support position open. I have posted an ad on Craigslist. The posting clearly says to go to our website and apply online. It specifically says “no phone calls.” > > So far, in under 5 hours, I have gotten 12 resumes via email and one phone call. The cream of the crop thus far has been one woman who not only responded via email, she misspelled the word “sincerely” in her email. And, on top of that, **when I opened her resume,** it was a blank template! Yes. You read that right. The resume had no information. It was a Word template that still contained the place markers saying things like, “[Type objective here]”. > > In **this** economy why in the name of all that is good and holy would you do anything other than triple check to make sure you are making the best possible impression you can? I am bloody flabbergasted. One more reason why “apply online” is for losers. I’ve never met anyone who did so and actually got the job, unless the job was either an entry level cattle-call or they were overqualified. Personally, I find it insulting that any employer thinks I should spend my time filling out their generic online application. Obviously, they don’t want to bother actually looking at resumes, so they shift the work of sorting potential employees into a computerized format that allows them to eliminate people based on pre-determined criteria. I’m sure this works out quite well for them, but not for any intelligent person out there looking to get ahead by learning something new, or trying a different field than the one they’re in. Companies looking for people this way are sending a clear message at the outset: Our employees are interchangeable, and we don’t care to work very hard in finding them. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/9 "2009-02-24T20:41:39Z")
I just looked through another stack today. One guy said he was familiar with the “Aparche” web server. Another put his Hotmail email address right on the very top. At least, I think it was Hotmail, since the address was [hisname@hotmial.com](mailto:hisname@hotmial.com). ---
**Author:** ![Quintas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/48db29/32.png) [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/10 "2009-02-24T20:44:56Z")
They probably think (usually correctly) that the ‘online application’ is simply going to disappear into a black hole, so they figure, “What the hell, let me TRY to make some human contact”. My last job search taught me that ‘apply online’ is about as effective as taping a sign to my chest and walking around the grounds of whatever company I was applying for. Saying you are familiar with ‘Aparche’ is just stupid though. lol. ---
**Author:** ![Smitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Smitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smitty)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/11 "2009-02-24T20:48:18Z")
> [@Borborygmi](#): > > Hey, [Your name] is doing the best she can. The skills needed for [Describe your career goal or ideal job] probably have little or no correlation with the skills needed for creating a perfect resume. I say bring [Your name] in for an interview… you just might discover she has the experience in [Professional or technical skill], [Professional or technical skill], and [Professional or technical skill] that you are looking for. Now THAT is good funny! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/12 "2009-02-24T20:49:42Z")
The cynic in me wonders if some of these inept job seekers apply just to check the “I tried” box so they can continue collecting unemployment. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/13 "2009-02-24T20:50:07Z")
My favorite application I ever got was the one whose cover letter was addressed “Dear Mama”. ---
**Author:** ![Smitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Smitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smitty)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/14 "2009-02-24T20:50:24Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Hmm, I’m looking for a job. Where are you? Houston, TX ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/15 "2009-02-24T20:54:01Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Another put his Hotmail email address right on the very top. At least, I think it was Hotmail, since the address was [hisname@hotmial.com](mailto:hisname@hotmial.com). Colour me dense (it won’t be news to me) but what’s the exact problem here? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/16 "2009-02-24T20:59:37Z")
> [@Jayn\_Newell](#): > > Colour me dense (it won’t be news to me) but what’s the exact problem here? mial for mail ---
**Author:** ![Quintas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/48db29/32.png) [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/17 "2009-02-24T21:00:21Z")
I applied and actually got an interview with a local cable company once. The ‘interview’ consisted of 2 tests. One was a technical knowledge test. The other was some version of the Keirsey temper test. Aced the tech side but was dismissed because my ‘personality profile’ was of the wrong sort. So idiocy comes from both directions. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/18 "2009-02-24T21:01:53Z")
> [@Jayn\_Newell](#): > > Colour me dense (it won’t be news to me) but what’s the exact problem here? Take a close look at the email address. hotm **ai** l, not hotmial. ETA: and color me slow to type. ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/19 "2009-02-24T21:04:10Z")
Yup, I’m dense _facepalms_ ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/20 "2009-02-24T21:04:33Z")
> [@Smitty](#): > > Houston, TX **Robot Arm**! You’ve made a good first impression! You’re on your own now. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257.md?page=2)