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Icymudpuppy
10-05-2009, 11:40 AM
Dear liberty mavens who are looking for jobs.

I am hiring. I have two positions I need to fill ASAP, and 6 positions I need to fill by next May.

BUT I CAN'T FIND ANY GOOD CANDIDATES!

Why not?
Because nobody tells me anything of value on their cover letters and resumes.

1. I don't care if you are a union anything. My job is not a union job.

2. I want to know why you are applying for this job. If you don't give me anything targeted specifically toward my job, I will assume your only purpose in applying is to meet the requirements of your unemployment benefits.

3. Stating that you are a licensed Fork lift operator doesn't tell me Jack Sh*t about your skills which pertain to my jobs with specific skills mentioned in the advertisement.

4. An objective which says "A good job for a self starter in a growing company with room for advancement" is the most generic objective seen, and I won't give you a second look.

In short, tailor your application documents specifically for me, and you will probably get an interview. Give me the same Sh*t you give everybody, and you will go into the trash bin. Here's a tip: Go online and find my website, and do a little research about exactly what my company does, and what the position I'm advertising for does before you write your cover letter.

Just my Rant.

Any other frustrated employers out there, please weigh in.

evilfunnystuff
10-05-2009, 11:49 AM
very good advice

fisharmor
10-05-2009, 12:03 PM
What are you hiring for?


When I've had to review resumes, there were usually 20 or so, and it was in addition to my regular duties... so I would just toss them out for what seemed like trivial problems.

Misspelling? BS, trash. I was looking at IT resumes. If you can't make a computer do a spell check, then it's a waste of time to expect you to figure out how to do a command line octal dump. Which is pretty basic.

Formatting problems? BS, trash. I don't care if you never studied graphic design. You obviously didn't even google "how to write a resume". Plus, if it looks terrible it means you didn't show it to anyone... meaning I can't expect teamwork out of you.

If your resume isn't perfect, lots of times it won't get reviewed.

On the other hand, there were also one time where I had to discuss seriously whether we were going to hire someone who had no industry experience, no schoolwork, and no skills - based strictly on his resume and an initial interview. This guy had it together, was incredibly well spoken, and was dripping professionalism out of his pores, and it almost landed him a job doing something completely out of his league.

Elwar
10-05-2009, 12:08 PM
As someone who sent out tons of resumes last year and sent just as many for my wife...there's a reason why the resumes and cover letters aren't specific for your specific job.

Sure, the first couple of openings you tailor your resume and cover letter to that specific job...then when you don't get those you start to make your resume more generic and widen your scope. It widens quite a bit because you start applying for anything and everything. I was applying for system admin positions, software engineer positions, database positions, every type of position that had to do with computers...I even sent one out for VP just because it was out there...sure I had a couple of different resumes but I must have sent out over 100 resumes...I wasn't going to tailor each one to the specific job.

My wife as well, she was looking for a job doing apartment leasing, but she was sending out resumes to anyone and everyone who was hiring at one point...even for an 11PM to 7AM job as a secretary at a homeless tent camp. I set up her cover letter to say something like "I believe that my extensive experience and outgoing personality will fit in well with this position".

I got to the point of doing interviews where I had one interview (for a company paying half of what I was willing to take...) where I let the guy interviewing ramble on to the point where I responded "Ya, that's about what I do". I was tired of being grilled during interviews trying to say what I think they want me to say, I figured since I was getting interviews but not getting hired, I must be saying the wrong thing...so I tried to say as little as possible and let my resume speak for me. I then asked the guy "When can I start?". He was going to hire me...but like I said, they were paying too little and fortunately I got a better job.

Icymudpuppy
10-05-2009, 12:32 PM
What are you hiring for?.

My Ad...

Vertebrate Wildlife Pest Control Technician

Description
Home Service Technician solving wildlife pest problems.
Raccoons in Crawlspaces, Squirrels in Attics, Bats, Skunks and More.
You will sometimes have to deal with tight spaces, heights, and bad smells.
Practical problem solving skills are a must.
Must have your own handyman tools.
Your own truck or van is preferred.
Must have good people skills for dealing with distraught homeowners.
Must not be afraid of wild animals, trapping, euthanasia, heights, or enclosed spaces.
Must have organizational skills to keep track of daily appointments.
Seasonal. Busy full time in Spring and Summer, slow part time in fall and winter.


Educational Requirement: High School Graduate Entry Level: Yes
Licenses Required: Trapping License (available through the Department of Fish and Wildlife)
Skills Desired: Handyman, tracking,
Animal:Identification, Behavior, lifecycle, trapping, Wild Animal Handling
Arithmetic
Customer Service

Pay is Piece-rate. 45% of gross per job.
Hardworking techs can exceed $6000/mo.