In one of
the tightest job markets in history, a company with a gaping hole
to fill will jump at any qualified candidate, right? Not necessarily.
Job seekers make some missteps that rankle even the most talent-hungry
employers. The Wall Street Journal asked executive recruiters
what the costliest candidate faux pas are. Here are their answers.
Arrogance:
In March, a job hunter who wanted to be the chief executive of
an internet company wrote to Russell Reynolds Associates in San
Francisco saying "he was worth $50 million," recalls Becky Stein,
a managing director there. "He wanted to let us know that he was
only interested in a company situation that offered a $100 million
upside."
The demand,
coming before he was even considered for a job, "reeked of arrogance,"
Ms. Stein says. "Putting the cart before the horse is a major
mistake."
'What's in
it for Me?': While interviewing for a post at a media company
a few months ago, a candidate "spent entirely too much time focusing
on the severance agreement," says Susan Bishop, President of Bishop
Partners, New York. "This left a bad taste in the employer's mouth.
It obviously says you are too focused on the negatives. You're
thinking about leaving even before you start."
Other candidates
err in focusing on minutae. They ask, "When am I going to get
a cell phone?" and "How many days of vacation are there?" "Benefits
are important but you have to be careful," Ms. Bishop says "Fixating
on such perks "shows that you are thinking about everything relating
to not being in the office."
Wrong
Assumptions: An executive at a financially troubled Internet company
was offered a job at a traditional company with a salary of $200,000,"
says Pat Cook, a Bronxville, N.Y. recruiter. After making a firm
offer, the hiring executive suddenly asked, "What are you currently
earning?" The Internet executive answered $160,000," and failed
to add that he had a substantial equity stake in the company.
"He
assumed the person hiring him understood that," Ms. Cook says.
The hiring executive suddenly thought he was making an offer to
an inferior or inexperienced candidate and withdrew the offer.
Too Sloppy:
A candidate who was applying for an executive assistant position
at a bank won over the president after two interviews. Then the
candidate sent a thank you note to her prospective boss and misspelled
the word "president," says Lori Solderitch of Management Recruiters
International of Frederick, Md.
"The company's
president called me, disturbed, and decided not to make her an
offer," Ms. Solderitch says. "It's just so important to have someone
go over your resume, because even spell-check sometimes fails
to do the trick. Pay attention to details."
Too Slick:
Gene Manheim, managing director of Herbert Mines Associates, New
York, had a candidate who showed up for an interview "unbelievably
well-dressed and polished. The employer, an Internet company,
was thinking: "Is the candidate going to be able to roll up [her]
sleeves for the job?" he says.
Sometimes
when candidates are too put together, in a sense "they've revealed
how much they care about material things," Mr. Manheim adds. "Will
they be able to handle working out of a cardboard box or out of
a shared office? "
Delay: Last
year, a candidate accepted a job offer but after almost two weeks
still hadn't resigned from his old job recalls Phil Schneidermeyer
of Korn/Ferry International's Stamford, Conn. office. The problem
was that his boss was out of the country and he couldn't resign
with anyone else." Nevertheless, the new employer rescinded the
offer. "Any delay can cause the employer's feelings about that
person to cool," warns Mr. Schneidermeyer.
