# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/81 "2009-02-25T12:57:06Z")
I used to interview English teachers for my Japanese friend who had an English school. There were some unforgetable resumes. Two roommates sent in resumes, almost completely identical, except for different names. They had pictures attached, so it wasn’t the same person. Same layout, of course, but the phrasing for previous work experience was damn near the same. The best one was a guy who sent in a resume for a modeling job, including having gone to some modeling school in LA, experience there. Whatever. For some reason, I decided to interview him just for the hell of it, and he shows up with an other resume for teaching English, having gone to some school for teaching English as as second language in LA, experience there. Whatever. The guy just said that he probably gave me the wrong resume, and here’s the right one, without blinking an eye. Just after he left his “friend” called to see if he was there (precell days) and it was obviously staged to allow me to ask the “friend” questions about the guy. When I said that the guy had left already, the friend was trying to stay on the line until I asked him a question. Pretty funny. ---
**Author:** ![DogMom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9c0ed/32.png) [@DogMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DogMom)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/82 "2009-02-25T13:38:38Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > > [@Smitty](#): > > > > Houston, TX > > That’s a little farther than I was hoping to commute. Well, heck, I’m looking for a job and willing to move if I find the right one. \ Smitty? Are you still hiring? PM me a link to the online listing if you are, pretty please? \ ---
**Author:** ![DogMom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9c0ed/32.png) [@DogMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DogMom)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/83 "2009-02-25T13:44:57Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > It was the SexyMcHottie part I didn’t like. It struck me as unprofessional…and there’s no way I wanted any email from my work account to SexyMcHottie. I have no objections to hotmail, yahoo, etc. Exactly - I created a separate gmail account when I started looking for work. The account is my first initial, middle initial and last name at gmail dot com. I figured that looked far more professional than “DogMom”. General rule:Even your email account says something about you. Best to make that First Impression a good one. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/84 "2009-02-25T13:53:11Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > Got a resume last week. Looked good and professional, but the listed email address was HighLyfe420@[somefreeisp]. Mr. Neville’s brother’s father-in-law has pot4fun@someisp as his email address. He uses it because his hobby is pottery. He refuses to listen when people bring up… ah… potential alternative interpretations of that email address. I hope for his sake he’s never applying for jobs with that email address. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/85 "2009-02-25T13:58:46Z")
> [@Uzi](#): > > Assuming that they actually have finished their Master’s, would you hire any one of them as a junior, bottom of the barrel, technician’s position that requires at most a technical school qualification? > Don’t be daft. They are either not telling the truth (a lot of these qualifications in the third world are bought, or not worth the paper they are printed on), or they actually have the qualifications and are so overqualified that they’ll expect immediate promotions and raises, or will jump ship at the first opportunity. In this economy? Fuck yes they’re applying for entry level positions. There’s hardly anything out there at all and they’re applying to anything they can. I applied for an IT internship… when I had my B.S. in Computer Science already. I wasn’t the only one with one who had applied. I know I’m in Michigan so I get an especially large piece of the shit sandwich here, but… it’s really bad out there. Overqualified? Not a surprise. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/86 "2009-02-25T14:34:32Z")
Some years back, my hubby was working IT for the state of Maryland Dept of Corrections. This was around 1998, and the state gov’t was in a tizzy about Y2K. Hence, my hubby was put in charge of Y2K remediation, and given the authority to hire a couple of DBA’s. He interviewed _dozens_ before he found two that he thought would work out. In one interview, where he thought the resume looked promising, he asked the applicant _why_ he wanted the job. The applicant said “Well, I really don’t. I think I’ll hate the job. But I want to work a government job, and this _would_ get my foot in the door. . .” Don’t know if he was shocked when he didn’t get hired. . . ---
**Author:** ![DogMom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9c0ed/32.png) [@DogMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DogMom)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/87 "2009-02-25T15:09:29Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > In this economy? Fuck yes they’re applying for entry level positions. There’s hardly anything out there at all and they’re applying to anything they can. > > I applied for an IT internship… when I had my B.S. in Computer Science already. I wasn’t the only one with one who had applied. I know I’m in Michigan so I get an especially large piece of the shit sandwich here, but… it’s really bad out there. Overqualified? Not a surprise. Plus, frankly, the Master’s Degree holder has _zero_ experience unless their program allowed for Internships or Co-Op work. So yeah, a lot of them **will** try for the entry-level slots because _especially_ in this economy, employers are looking for people with experience. They know they can get it, so they’re holding out for it. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/88 "2009-02-25T15:28:48Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, if I got a resume with all strikethrough, my first instinct would be to assume that something got screwed up in the translation along the way. That is, unless there were other things in the resume to make me conclude this was done on purpose. Meh, maybe she would have been the perfect candidate for the job and I should have tried to remove the strikethrough to read her resume. I was in a bit if a hurry, however, since I had 360 resumes to get through for a single position. Very early on in the resume reading process I determined that if I opened a file and it made me say, “What the hell?” I wasn’t going to continue reading when I had lots of non-crazy resumes to read. And as far as Craigslist goes I think it is a great job search tool. That is where I found my current job which is so full of awesome I could just about explode! ---
**Author:** ![Martiju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Martiju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martiju)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/89 "2009-02-25T15:47:28Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > I’m not sure I entirely agree with you. Online applications are good tools when you anticipate a _lot_ of applicants. That can be the case when you’re hiring low-level employees, true - but it can also be the case with very desirable, higher-level jobs. For example, the federal Attorney Honors programs (which hire law students straight out of school) and the Presidential Management Fellowships are both _very_ prestigious, and both use online applications. Of course, neither program uses them _exclusively_ - but they’re used for the first steps. Agreed. I’ve applied for my last three jobs online - the latest a relatively senior management post. In fact, now I think of it, all the jobs at the university I work at are by online application - mainly to ensure that all the necessary details are included. Nothing worse than having to wade through CVs of all shapes and sizes to get the info you really want. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/90 "2009-02-25T16:16:55Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I’d expect someone with a Master’s to be older than 22, so I’d wonder if maybe the applicant was less than completely honest about his or her qualifications. I finished my master’s at age 21, and that was _with_ an extra year of study in England. Didn’t seem particularly unusual to anybody I knew, especially in Canada, where many master’s programs are one-year. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/91 "2009-02-25T16:17:02Z")
One of my workmates and I do lots of interview panels. We both enjoy it and we are easy going so if someone needs an independent panel member we often get the call. We collect examples of applicant stupidity. For some time now the undisputed champion has been the brilliant phrase: **attantion of details**. A simple phrase, **attention to detail** , and every single fucking word is wrong. We now use it at work when we stuff-up, “What was I doing? Due to my attantion of details I’ll have to run this report again.” ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/92 "2009-02-25T16:24:29Z")
Well since I posted here already I suppose I should post this story. Back when I worked in California we were looking for a secretary for our Dean of Advancement. Another co-worker and I were asked to interview Candidate #1. Remember that scene in _Trainspotting_ where Spud takes speed for an “edge” in his job interview? It was about like that. First question she asks is “Can I smoke here?” No. “OK then.” Followed by about a minute of frantic digging in her purse, then she finally pulls out…a lighter! ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/93 "2009-02-25T16:25:27Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Wow, we have a new candidate for the poster with the most well-developed sense of entitlement. The last part of your post makes some sense (i.e., by arguing that the employer is hurting itself by using an online application), but the first part is pure entitled whining (“but I don’t WANNA fill out an online application, wah!”). Yes, you are correct, I DO feel entitled. I’m the one who shelled out thousands for a college degree. I’m the one who IS smart enough to write a resume/spellcheck the resume/brush my teeth for the interview/dress well for the interview. In return, I expect to be able to get a call returned by a human being. In short, I expect to be TREATED like a human being, not an interchangeable machine. People who tolerate being treated like shit (which is how applying online is treating them, as posters like **Quintas** have pointed out) will never be treated any better. More people should feel as entitled as I do. ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/94 "2009-02-25T16:28:44Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > I’m not sure I entirely agree with you. Online applications are good tools when you anticipate a _lot_ of applicants. That can be the case when you’re hiring low-level employees, true - but it can also be the case with very desirable, higher-level jobs. For example, the federal Attorney Honors programs (which hire law students straight out of school) and the Presidential Management Fellowships are both _very_ prestigious, and both use online applications. Of course, neither program uses them _exclusively_ - but they’re used for the first steps. You can disagree with me, sure, but nothing you’ve said here really contradicts me. Applying online makes it easy for the employer, to the detriment of everyone else. A person should have the chance to put his/her best foot forward. With few exceptions, you can’t do that online. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/95 "2009-02-25T17:10:31Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > In this economy? Fuck yes they’re applying for entry level positions. There’s hardly anything out there at all and they’re applying to anything they can. And at the first chance they get they’ll jump shit for something more “suitable” to their lofty credentials. Seriously, you’d hire a guy with a Master’s to shlup computers around? I already have guys with Master degrees working for me (all hired by previous supervisors). I can pretty much tell who are the problem employees based upon the level of their qualifications. The more they have the worse a workstation tech they are. They aren’t happy just being a workstation tech. I don’t have a big enough department to give them other opportunities, nor would I given their attitude. I work in Yemen where opportunities are so few that you get people most people applying for positions that they are far over qualified for. I don’t need an engineer to plug in a hard drive and install windows. I need a guy with an MCSE or equivalent technical cert with an emphasis on hardware as they are the ones who are likely to stay the longest and be the happiest in their position. > [@](#): > > I applied for an IT internship… when I had my B.S. in Computer Science already… Overqualified? Not a surprise. Another side to this. I had an employee once who had a bachelor’s in computer science. He had a managed to plug a floppy connector into the hard drive and after an hour asked me why couldn’t get the computer to work. 2 seconds later I had him sorted out, but university education doesn’t necessarily mean they are qualified to be a workstation tech. I need someone for a workstation tech position who has actually opened a computer, ripped it apart, and more importantly, put it back together again, not someone who spent their time programming the damn thing. Different jobs, different training. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/96 "2009-02-25T19:03:56Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > I finished my master’s at age 21, and that was _with_ an extra year of study in England. Didn’t seem particularly unusual to anybody I knew, especially in Canada, where many master’s programs are one-year. Ah. In the US, students generally take 4 years to complete an undergrad degree (so let’s say age 18-21), then an additional 2 years for a Masters. But you’re right, not as young as it sounded initially. ETA- forgot to add, I once received a resume written in pencil on heavy, pre-lined, non-white paper, like elementary school kids use in class. Yeah. Also one written in red pen for the same job, one printed on Hello Kitty paper, etc. Nice and professional. ---
**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 25, 2009, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/97 "2009-02-25T19:23:16Z")
> [@Lizard](#): > > Yes, you are correct, I DO feel entitled. I’m the one who shelled out thousands for a college degree. I’m the one who IS smart enough to write a resume/spellcheck the resume/brush my teeth for the interview/dress well for the interview. In return, I expect to be able to get a call returned by a human being. In short, I expect to be TREATED like a human being, not an interchangeable machine. > > People who tolerate being treated like shit (which is how applying online is treating them, as posters like **Quintas** have pointed out) will never be treated any better. More people should feel as entitled as I do. Yeesh, this post made Mr. :rolleyes: do a backflip. If you want sonething from someone, then you have to play by the rules they’ve set up to get it. You can’t just go march into a potential employer and demand to be hired based on the fact that you spent money on college and have good hygiene. The world doesn’t owe you a living. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/98 "2009-02-25T19:28:45Z")
My husband is a professor at a major university. His department was looking to hire another tenure track professor and he was on the search committee. One day he brought a large stack of resumes home and gave me half and asked me to help sort out the ones that were obviously not qualified. Now keep in mind, this is for a tenure track professor position at a major research university. One of the resumes was on tie-dye colored paper, was typed in this huge swoopy font, and began like like this: HI!!! 😉 (Hint: don’t start a resume with ‘hi’ and, as has been mentioned by another poster, don’t use emoticons!) ---
**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 25, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/99 "2009-02-25T19:32:52Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Yeesh, this post made Mr. :rolleyes: do a backflip. If you want sonething from someone, then you have to play by the rules they’ve set up to get it. You can’t just go march into a potential employer and demand to be hired based on the fact that you spent money on college and have good hygiene. The world doesn’t owe you a living. Although, frankly, good personal hygiene is worth an extra $20k a year in my book. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257/100 "2009-02-25T19:34:29Z")
I had a guy who picked his teeth during the interview. I kept waiting for him to find something. I had a woman who seemed to try her hardest to let me get the full view of her cleavage (including leaning over my desk to point out something on her resume). No, didn’t hire her. If I need demo dollies for trade shows I call local modelling agencies. I have seen the “toosexyforyou” email addresses - no interview. As for those complaining about online applications - that is how the sorting is done. We got 500+ resumes for a recent tech support position. We took real resumes and went through them, and we had to use any possible way to get through the stack to 50 to deeply read, and 10 to interview, 3 for a call back and 1 to hire. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/job-applicants-try-not-to-be-an-idiot-on-your-first-impression/487257.md?page=6)