How NOT to get a job in any economy

Benevolent One

Benevolent One

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I understand that it can be really hard to get a job right now, but this is not how you go about doing it.
http://www.salary.com/7-of-the-worst-resumes-ever/slide/4/
5. A Grave Mistake

It’s a good idea to target specific companies for which you want to work during your job search. You should learn about them, what’s happening with them in the news, what the company’s financial state is, etc. And it’s a great idea to get leads on when internal job openings are being posted.
But this guy took things too far when he tried to dance on someone’s grave.
This overeager jobseeker noticed the Technical Director of a company had died, and then mistook that as a chance to get his foot in the door by applying for the deceased’s job. His cover letter stated “Each time I apply for a job, I get a reply that there’s no vacancy but in this case I have caught you red-handed and you have no excuse because I even attended the funeral to be sure that he was truly dead and buried before applying.”
He then attached a copy of the man’s death certificate along with his resume. Yup. Just let that classiness wash over you for a second.
 
Evidence of a serious candidate
 
Not sure how it turned out but there was something about passing laws barring current employers or prospective employers from asking about social media sites and if you had one they wanted the password.

I still resent my car insurance company checking my credit report. I have a very good score but how I pay my bills doesn't correspond to how I drive. I know people who haven't gotten a parking ticket in 20+ years but got laid off, missed a payment no way related to their insurance and their rates went up.
 
You've got to be careful pouncing upon a job vacancy, even when you hear about it from the guy who is vacating it.
When I was teaching part time, another part time teacher told me he was moving to the coast and I should interview for the job he was leaving. Gave me the HR person's name and address, as well as details about what he did there and what they'd be looking for.
So I constructed what I thought was a professionally worded and formatted cover letter and resume and sent it in. Never heard anything back.
Turned out, my friend heard that the HR person was insulted because in my letter I said that I had heard about a new possible opening. Apparently she doesn't like proactive people. Also, he admitted that the culture there was a bit strange and they were mad at him for leaving so automatically rejected anybody he suggested.
Now I know that whenever somebody suggests I use them as a reference I should first check that they aren't on the blacklist.
 
I have never used anyone who suggested I use them as a reference. I've always picked who I wanted to use and got their ok first.

Nothing infuriated more than getting a call from a company who was considering hiring someone who had listed me as a reference without asking me. Especially when my opinion would be a less than glowing.
 
Ah, anybody who uses me as a reference without asking me first is taking a big risk...
In this case, the guy I used as a reference told me to do it... seemed like an okay guy but then again I didn't know him well.
 
When a person leaves involuntarily because they aren't doing the job and then puts you down as a reference, that takes ballz!!
 
Had a guy that I was forced to fire do that. When I got a call from a company checking him out, I didn't embellish but I was honest about his job performance (or lack thereof). Never heard from either of them again.

Another set of big balls: a buddy got an inquiry for one of his subordinates. The guy was shopping for a new job but hadn't told him... didn't even act like he was unhappy. So my buddy told him good luck at the new job... guy ended up with no job.
 
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