Teaching Business Communication and Employment

"Sending a “no thanks” email message is fine when you’ve only met someone over the phone, but if a person put on a suit and came down to your facility and spent an hour with you and then doesn’t get hired, you owe them a live phone call to tell them that you’re hiring someone else." , , ,

"When you're in the hot seat, there's a good chance your interviewer will turn the tables at some point and ask, "Do you have any questions for me?" . . .

"Applying for a job typically consists of providing two documents to your potential employer: a resume and a cover letter.

While simple improvements can be made to a fairly straightforward resume, writing an effective cover letter can be the tricky part. Be sure not to make these mistakes." . . .

"The advice seems so simple but it is as not as easy to live it each day as it may seem." . . .

"Well, as the rounds of interviews continue (think: second, third, and maybe even fourth), you’ll do some repackaging of old stories and introduce some new information. But the secret is not to go overboard either way. Here’s how to channel your inner Goldilocks and find the balance that’s just right."

"Your confidence is a balloon, and it's ready to burst. Add a little air for getting called in for an interview. Add a little air for researching common interview questions and practicing your answers. And then add a lot of air for truly feeling that, whoa, you are so perfect for this job and you know you're going to impress the heck out of your interviewers." . . .

"How can a fresh graduate get a job when companies only want to hire those with experience?

"The answer isn’t exaggerating, faking credentials or padding your resume. But it’s not 100% transparency, either." . . .

"How many times have you applied for a job and never heard back? 

You tell yourself, “They probably never saw it,” or, “Maybe I just wasn’t a good fit,” and you move on.

But, more likely, your resume just didn’t impress. . ."

To be clear, these statements aren’t lies every time an employer says them. But they’re inaccurate enough of the time that you shouldn’t take them at face value when you hear them.

Although we may never know why we didn’t get chosen for a job interview, a recent study is shedding some light on recruiters’ decision-making behavior. According to TheLadders research, recruiters spend an average of ”six seconds before they make the initial ‘fit or no fit’ decision” on candidates. 

The study used a scientific technique called “eye tracking” on 30 professional recruiters and examined their eye movements during a 10-week period to “record and analyze where and how long someone focuses when digesting a piece of information or completing a task.”

In the short time that they spend with your resume, the study showed recruiters will look at your name, current title and company, current position start and end dates, previous title and company, previous position start and end dates, and education.

The two resumes below include a heat map of recruiters’ eye movements. The one on the right was looked at more thoroughly than the one of the left because of its clear and concise format.

"In a survey released by job site Career Builder, 48% of hiring managers said they know within the first five minutes of an interview if a candidate is a good fit for the job. And the candidate’s body language is a top factor in their decisions."

For staffing firm Robert Half, that means looking back on 12 months of bizarre interviews and the worst mistakes job candidates made.

Here are the highlights from the most extreme interview antics from 2013, which the company shared. . .