# Your Best Job Search/Interview Tips **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 27, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-job-search-interview-tips/614154 "2012-02-27T16:23:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-job-search-interview-tips/614154/41 "2012-02-29T17:31:19Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > I’ve hired more than a few people and I have to say that if I saw that cover letter both it and the associated resume would go directly in the “Definite No” pile. Why? The letter is twice the length it should be, and I don’t need to know about her breeding capabilities, but it did emphasize traits that would be of use to the hiring manager, and for that job I suspect chatty and up is a better approach than formal. It would definitely make me give her resume a second look. If she was applying for a job as an accountant or attorney, not so much though. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-job-search-interview-tips/614154/42 "2012-02-29T17:45:19Z")
Don’t be over 50 years old. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-job-search-interview-tips/614154/43 "2012-02-29T19:17:37Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Why? The letter is twice the length it should be, and I don’t need to know about her breeding capabilities, but it did emphasize traits that would be of use to the hiring manager, and for that job I suspect chatty and up is a better approach than formal. It would definitely make me give her resume a second look. > > If she was applying for a job as an accountant or attorney, not so much though. Well to be fair I hire for technical positions but you said it yourself… > [@Voyager](#): > > The letter is twice the length it should be Strike 1 - brevity is a good thing > [@Voyager](#): > > I don’t need to know about her breeding capabilities Strike 2 - for what I hope are obvious reasons > [@](#): > > Hats I wore there included copywriter, researcher extraordinaire, PowerPoint & Word guru \*\*and my favorite – She Who Must Be Obeyed (earned for riding herd on the account executives and graphics geniuses). \*\* Strike 3 - great, you’re a pain in the ass, I’m sure the rest of the team will love that. > [@](#): > > While writing is my passion, project management is my bread and butter. Strike 4 - I don’t give a fuck what your passion is, why would you think I do and why would you think this is a good thing to tell me? I just want to know if you can do the god damn job, frankly you’re starting to piss me off. > [@](#): > > I know what you’re thinking – that yes, I am the perfect person for the job, but there is no way you can afford me. OK - now I officially hate you. Take your cutesy act somewhere else. What part of business relationship do you not understand? This isn’t fucking Sex in the City, it’s a god damn business. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-job-search-interview-tips/614154/44 "2012-02-29T20:08:59Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > Well to be fair I hire for technical positions but you said it yourself… > Strike 1 - brevity is a good thing > > Strike 2 - for what I hope are obvious reasons > > Strike 3 - great, you’re a pain in the ass, I’m sure the rest of the team will love that. > > Strike 4 - I don’t give a fuck what your passion is, why would you think I do and why would you think this is a good thing to tell me? I just want to know if you can do the god damn job, frankly you’re starting to piss me off. > > OK - now I officially hate you. Take your cutesy act somewhere else. What part of business relationship do you not understand? This isn’t fucking Sex in the City, it’s a god damn business. You sound like you’d be a pain in the ass to work for. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-job-search-interview-tips/614154/45 "2012-02-29T20:42:49Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > You sound like you’d be a pain in the ass to work for. Maybe, but truth be told that woman sounds like she’d be way too high maintenance. When I ran a team, which I no longer do, I met with them maybe once a week for 30 min to an hour. The rest of the time I keep out of the way and expect you to do your job. It’s a business relationship, we’re not going drinking after work and frankly all I care about is that you do your job well. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-job-search-interview-tips/614154/46 "2012-02-29T20:57:32Z")
I did not really care for that cover letter either, but I don’t understand why some refuse to form relationships with their employees. I’m not saying you have to be best friends, but just taking in interest in who they are as a person. It’s both the nice thing to do AND it leads to employees feeling more valued and therefore being more productive. The most important thing for me in a job is that I feel like part of a team. If that need is met, I am loyal to the end. One thing I love about social work is that relationships with other people are just as important as any other aspect. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-job-search-interview-tips/614154/47 "2012-02-29T22:30:30Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > Maybe, but truth be told that woman sounds like she’d be way too high maintenance. When I ran a team, which I no longer do, I met with them maybe once a week for 30 min to an hour. The rest of the time I keep out of the way and expect you to do your job. It’s a business relationship, we’re not going drinking after work and frankly all I care about is that you do your job well. Depends on the team. If you are hiring for a position where people grind out the results, with high quality and productivity, I agree that this would be a terrible letter. If you are hiring for an artistic job (which seemed to be) it looks a lot better. Some of the best people we hired for research were kind of weird. Most of them worked out very well. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-job-search-interview-tips/614154/48 "2012-03-01T05:20:43Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > Strike 4 - I don’t give a fuck what your passion is, why would you think I do and why would you think this is a good thing to tell me? I just want to know if you can do the god damn job, frankly you’re starting to piss me off. I want to hire people who have a passion. Ideally for the work they will be doing, but at least something. I want someone who is driven, who has ass-power, who will not sleep until they’ve solved a problem. So I do like to hear about passion. ---
**Author:** ![SecondJudith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@SecondJudith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecondJudith)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2012, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-job-search-interview-tips/614154/49 "2012-03-01T07:00:53Z")
In comments it was noted that the job posting was for a “marketing god/dess”, or something like that, so aside from anything else I’d argue the tone matches the tone of the ad, which is a useful skill to demonstrate for that kind of work. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-best-job-search-interview-tips/614154.md?page=2)