How Employers Think

I'm on the verge of spitting blood going through tons of resumes coming in for our PR and Brand Management position.  I think the job description really captures how fun and awesome this position will be, and its a job that I would have jumped at to do some real hands-on marketing if I wasn't already doing my job as President with PeerFX :)

Here are a couple things I noticed that grinds my gears:

1. If you can't write a good cover letter that tells me why you will do an awesome job at THIS particular job - don't apply.
2. If your skills aren't relevant to what's required in the job description - don't apply.
3. If you have grammar mistakes in your cover letter - don't apply.
4. I gave each resume a 30 second scan - because the candidate has to contribute to blogs and gain PR online...my focus was on the cover letter.  Are you engaging to read about?  Can you communicate to me why you should be part of the PeerFX team and not just part of any team because you are a "driven, self-motivated, results-oriented" individual?  
5. You have a hotmail account as your contact email - I would not want the media contacting our PR person at their hotmail address.
6. If you can't recall where you saw PeerFX before, don't make something up - I do most of the PR so I would know if you actually saw us.
7. Certifications and other abbreviations behind your name on your business card does not impress employers - we think it comes standard.  Now if you tell us you went on a trip around the world, or built a school in a third world country...let's talk.  Don't email me now trying to convince me that you did those things...what I actually mean is - what makes YOU special?  

That's it for now - I have to go back to shortlisting...I hope the above helps those of you that are looking for jobs right now :)

Related articles by Zemanta

• Dear Employer, I am a fantastic candidate for this job... (changingexchanging.blogspot.com)