Graduates and first time job seeker should realize the main thing an employer will be trying to figure out about you is how you will behave on the job. The only way they can determine this, first hand, is by the way you present yourself and behave during the job search process.
More times than not, that ‘first’ time will be the way you communicate with the employer via email and/or the phone. Avoid these mistakes if you want to be taken seriously by the employer. Any of these behaviours only shows you are not mature or professional. They could disqualify you from consideration before you even meet the employer face to face.
Sending your resumé in a mass email: Always send your resumé to a specific person or company addressed correctly and with a subject line that targets the job to which you are applying. The more specific you can be, the better the chances the employer will take you seriously and consider your candidacy.
Having a cutesy, offensive or inappropriate email address: You are out of school and in the real workplace now, so act like it. A professional sounding email address makes you look professional. A silly email address might work with your friends but when an employer see it, it tells them one thing…you have not grown up yet and are not ready to join a professional workplace.
Having a silly or strange sounding message on your answering machine: Remember, your answering machine might be the first impression an employer has of you and the first time they hear your voice. People will draw all sorts of conclusions about that first impression so make it friendly and professional. No music and no one else’s voice but yours.
Finding that first job is easy…you just have to be better in your job search and interview behaviour than your competition.