Job Hunting Guide 101
Present-day Davis owns and operates The Davis Agency, an insurance provider on Prairie View Road in Platte County. Along the way to this position, he endured his share of job interviews as the interviewee.
Davis once sat for an intense interview with a human resources vice president for a restaurant chain. The interviewer dissected blemishes on Davis’s resume: Why had he held one part-time job in
college for only a month? Why couldn’t he get along with this employer? Why weren’t his grades higher?
Davis understood this tactic. It wasn’t that the interviewer didn’t like him. He wanted to test Davis for cracks. This was how he kicked the tires.
Today, Davis has mastered a different approach when he interviews job candidates.
He knows colleges coach students through Interviewing 101 and wants to see how they handle a curve ball.
“It was such a turn-off to me, to where I structure my interview process so I want somebody to relax enough that they’ll make a mistake,” Davis said. “I’ll do everything in my power to get to know them personally to see if they make a mistake by telling me something that’s not what I’m looking for.”
Things that seem harmless enough or like a good strategy at the time backfire because interviewers and interviewees don’t connect on the right level. Goofy voicemail messages and racy Facebook pages that pop up on Google searches play roles job seekers don’t always consider, said Metropolitan Community College-Maple Woods career counselor Mary Lynn Munger. Likewise, ill-preparedness for interviews, sloppy dress and poorly prepared resumes and cover letters make big differences.
Mostly, Munger said, the problem is job seekers who aren’t tailoring their images — or their resumes — to emphasize the skills and qualities employers want. Some job hunters aren’t detail-oriented enough to pick up on make-or-break details — the value of a resume highlighting a lot of relevant experience versus the potential damage of grammatical errors in cover letters and immature or unprofessional voicemail greetings and Facebook pages.
“In today’s job market, these employers are bombarded with hundreds of applications,” Munger said. “If I as the job seeker haven’t
done my job and really pulled out and spelled out what I can do for them, then they’re not going to get in.”
Munger’s heard her share of complaints from the applicants’ side: employers don’t follow up on applications; employees who fill out applications in person usually at least get an interview, if not a job, while online applicants feel lost in the shuffle; meanwhile, online applications earn applicants offers for jobs for which they’re not qualified.
The best applicants come in having done their homework, Munger said, and
overdressing for a job interview at least shows a strong desire.
Davis occasionally gets applicants who come in without a resume — that suggests a lack of initiative, he said. And whatever applicants do, they must be honest, even about their weaknesses.
“There’s no such thing as angels on this Earth,” Davis said. “If they come right out and say ‘This is what happened . . .’ then my next question will be ‘What did you learn from it?’”
Kevin Heaton will celebrate 14 years this year owning and operating Stone Canyon Pizza in downtown Parkville. He gives all the credit he can to maintaining the same core staff
for the last five to seven years. He’d welcome having more jobs to fill in a sliding economy, but knows not
everyone would be a good fit in his store. Employers can afford to be picky, he said.
“Demand (for employees) isn’t out there,” Heaton said. “I would like to have 1,000 more jobs to give people.”
Job-hunting Survival Guide
Résumé — Bring one — and make it good. Shane Davis, owner of The Davis Agency, said he considers it a lack of initiative when an applicant asks “Would you like a resume?” Make sure the resume highlights the most crucial qualities that qualify you for the job you’re applying for.
Facebook, MySpace, e-mail, voicemail, etc. — Scrutinize them. Racy content on Facebook or MySpace pages can turn up in Google searches of applicants’ names. That faux pas, along with goofy voicemail
greetings or e-mail addresses, sometimes take away from a professional, mature image, said Metropolitan Community College-Maple Woods career counselor Mary Lynn Munger.
Interview attire — Overdress? Why not? Davis and Munger agree that showing up dressed more sharply than necessary indicates an applicant takes a job seriously.
|
