Essay

Interview blues

By Matt Wilce

Over the last month, I've seen a lot of resumes and held a lot of interviews, and it appears that people don't know how to apply for a job anymore. Most of the resumes and cover letters I ploughed through were just simply bad, but what also became apparent was there are cultural differences in the way different nationalities apply for positions. For example, a Japanese 40-year-old will send you a one-pager, its brevity bordering on the confusing, whereas a 22-year-old American will send you a detailed four-page notated list of every summer job they've had and their philosophy on life.

For the benefit of those currently searching for work, here are some dos and don'ts.

1) If you're a structural engineer or systems analyst, don't apply for a graphic design position (vice versa holds true, one hopes). The ability to design a bridge doesn't mean your magazine layout will be pretty.

2) Make sure you send the correct cover letter. Having the wrong company name, wrong industry and wrong job title never fails to impress us employers looking for detail-orientated hires.

3) Likewise, using capital letters and punctuation is a nice idea, especially if you say you have a college degree.

4) Don't try to convince the potential employer that they made a mistake in their job ad and what they really want is somebody part-time or a teleworker.

5) If you live in Sweden or India, don't apply for jobs that say you must be in Tokyo. Japanese law says we have to pay your commutation, but I don't think that covers airfares.

6) A follow-up email is a good idea, but multiple phone calls a day seem more desperate than committed.

7) Sending money with your application might be something a candidate on "The Apprentice" would try, but outside of reality TV it is generally frowned upon. We'd rather you sent a cohesive cover letter or nice work samples than ¥10,000.

8) Don't say you can do something that you can't. My mother told an employer she played the piano — it didn't end well when she was asked to play in front of a whole school.

9) Don't criticize the work of the office you will be working in during the interview. They probably won't score you very highly.

10) Dress conservatively even if you know the office is quite casual. I once almost didn't get a job because my hair was too spiky — I was lucky they didn't see me in my pink phase.

When I was in school, not that long ago, we had career counseling that told you how to write a resume and put you through mock interviews. I've learned that doesn't happen anymore.

Shukan ST: June 13, 2008

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