Unprofessional Behavior.

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 633.

You may have heard that "looking for a job is a job." Admittedly, it's hard to concentrate on a search when you're distracted by final exams, graduation and spring break. For this reason, prospective graduates may neglect important pre- and post- interview steps and focus only on the actual meetings.

The telephone often is their weakest link. Recruiters can't leave messages for candidates who lack answering machines or voice mail. Others have "deadbeat" roommates (or family members) who seem barely conscious, much less capable of taking messages. My favorite phone encounter went something like this:

Me: "May I speak to Joe Smith?"

Roommate: "I don't think he's here."

Me: "Would you mind checking?"

Roommate: CLOMP. CLOMP. SLAM. "He's not here."

Me: "May I leave a message?"

Roommate: "Uh, I guess so. Wait 'til I get a pencil."

Some roommates don't speak English and can't take messages. To prevent such mishaps, make sure the people you live with know of your job search and its importance. You, too, must sound professional when recruiters call. One candidate answered my call with "yeah?" then "okay, shoot," when he was ready to write down my directions.

For both men and women, it's appropriate to wear conservative business suits to interviews. One job-search myth has it that candidates should dress for the job they're seeking. However, you should dress better than that since you're not going to a job, you're going for an interview. Fraumeni recalls an applicant for a teaching position who showed up for her interview wearing jeans and a T-shirt. "It didn't matter what she said at that point," she says.

Arriving late and rescheduling meetings are all-too-common signs that candidates aren't ready for the business world, say recruiters. "Whatever you do, make sure you commit to an interview time and keep to it," says Linda Soifer, a corporate recruiter in Phoenix for Human Resources Contract Services, a Los Angeles consulting firm.

Failing to follow up after an interview is an equally telling sign. Always send a note thanking the interviewer for his or her time and reinforcing your interest in and enthusiasm for a position. Many recruiters don't mind follow-up phone calls if they're quick and to the point.