Sorry, that’s the best title I could come up with

Jokes apart though, this whole attitude business is a serious one. Managing a recruitment consultancy is quite demanding. Add to that my very unconventional approach to talent hunting then it becomes even more stressful. Unlike most recruitment agencies, when I see something wrong with an application, I take time out to let them know what they’ve gotten wrong and provide advice on what they can do to improve.

So I was going through some CVs while recruiting for a client. Two particular CVs caught my attention. The first one was a lady-she got the spelling of her name (Her name for crying out loud) wrong and the entire CV was sprinkled with typos and grammatical errors. The second was a guy-He sent me a CV he had sent to over 10 other prospective employers; I know because the lines that come with forwarded messages gave him away. As usual, I sent them both messages letting them know what the issue was and why they should hold themselves to higher standards.

Trouble.

Here’s a quote from the guy:
I do appreciate your concerned but what do you expect from an applicant who can not afford to go to cyber cafe and send an application?, also i am of the opinion that as a human being we are born to make mistake, and learn from your mistakes, pls can u also check the scrutinize ur words and see your mistake, have a good day.

The lady had this to say:
Good day,thank you for the correction,but please also take note that no one is beyond errors…I have worked with this organization for 7yrs,and if i am not a detailed person i guess i wouldn’t have worked this long.

Can anyone see the number of errors in their one paragraph responses?
I let them know one crucial fact: they are job hunting, not me, so the onus is on them to prove themselves, not the other way round. From a recruitment point of view, I took out my very valuable time to explain attributes I can deduce from their responses above. You can tell a lot about a person and their thought process from how they write…

Maybe I shouldn’t have bothered, because their responses were a lot worse. The lady signed off with ‘good radiance’, I take it she means 'good riddance'. The guy tells me he’s working and to keep my job. Phew!

In their haste to make a point they forget that I will still post jobs they may be interested in but they may never be able to apply because they’ve bungled their chances; and it all boils down to their attitude.

So here’s the moral of the story:
You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
You can’t keep making excuses for why you can’t succeed.
You cannot progress if you cannot deal with criticism.
Your words and actions have a vibe, they tell your story. One paragraph can tell a recruiter if you are detailed, sloppy, rude, haughty or downright careless.
Never respond in writing when you are angry. Writing is never a good way to resolve grievance. A lot can be misconstrued because of the absence of audio and body language. Take a breather, sleep; watch a movie or something. When you are calm and your emotions under check, only then should you try to let the other person know how you feel.
You can’t keep walking around with your nose in the air. You won’t make it anywhere in this knowledge-based economy where Fortune 500 companies recruit based on emotional intelligence.
As a new entrant into the job market you are perceived as a greenhorn, someone with a lot of enthusiasm and not a lot of practical knowledge. Be humble enough to learn from those who’ve been there before you. Try not to take yourself too seriously, laugh at your mistakes and make a personal commitment to execute with excellence anything your hands find to do.
Your attitude will open doors or keep them shut; remember that.
You know I mean well right?
Have yourself a wonderful day.
Xoxo
–
Naomi Lucas
Graduate Pro

www.graduatepro.wordpress .com

Follow us on twitter @GraduatePro

This is one of the most beautiful write-ups I've seen or come across on nairaland.

Truth be told, I have had similar experiences with what you posted about people's attitude.

Many young graduates are not willing to be patient and take correction. Just the other day I interviewed a boy of about 25 who said he just left his former employment because he felt offended that he should be put on suspension for violating office rules.
Another one left his employment because he had a minor rift with his boss's daughter.
People should be willing to be humble and loyal as long as you are seeking out employment.

Thanks once again for such beautiful write-up. Keep up the good work

Nice one

Hi, @post, you manage a recruitment agency, please, can i get your address and email, i'm currently looking for a job, and i could use a few pointers in drawing up a decent CV, just looking at the one i have now depresses me. My email: mannixuchechi.nk@gmail.com. Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks

Pacify: This is one of the most beautiful write-ups I've seen or come across on nairaland.

Truth be told, I have had similar experiences with what you posted about people's attitude.

Many young graduates are not willing to be patient and take correction. Just the other day I interviewed a boy of about 25 who said he just left his former employment because he felt offended that he should be put on suspension for violating office rules.
Another one left his employment because he had a minor rift with his boss's daughter.
People should be willing to be humble and loyal as long as you are seeking out employment.

Thanks once again for such beautiful write-up. Keep up the good work

Thank you so much pacify. Tell them o

Thanks Joy86

magnificio: Hi, @post, you manage a recruitment agency, please, can i get your address and email, i'm currently looking for a job, and i could use a few pointers in drawing up a decent CV, just looking at the one i have now depresses me. My email: mannixuchechi.nk@gmail.com. Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks

Hi Mannix, are you the same person on the GraduatePro blog? Please check www.graduatepro.. we are currently treating CV and cover letter writing on the blog. You can also send your CV to info.graduatepro@gmail.com with your name as the subject so I can take a look @ it yeah?

Cheers.

@Mbechun007, plz i will send u a mail, kindly go thru it. Regards.

Good write up with nice moral. Please ʊя̲̅ help is needed, am looking for job. Loluchampion@yahoo.co.uk dt's м̣̣̥̇̊ɣ mail. Send urs so that I can forward м̣̣̥̇̊ɣ CV τ̅☺ you for review. Anticipating τ̅☺ hearing frm u̶̲̥̅̊. Thanks

Beautiful write-up. I sent a mail to u. Really hope to hear from u soon. God bless.

@ciwi, pls forward †ђξ mail address τ̅☺ ♍ε̲̣̣̣̥ @ loluchampion@yahoo.co.uk

Mbechun007:

Hi Mannix, are you the same person on the GraduatePro blog? Please check www.graduatepro.. we are currently treating CV and cover letter writing on the blog. You can also send your CV to info.graduatepro@gmail.com with your name as the subject so I can take a look @ it yeah?

Cheers.

@lolu84 Dats †ђε email add right there

@Constanz11, have you sent the mail?

hi, Naomi. Yes, that's me. And i sent a copy of my c.v today. I titled it "review my c.v please.
Looking forward to your reply. Thanks a million.

magnificio: hi, Naomi. Yes, that's me. And i sent a copy of my c.v today. I titled it "review my c.v please.
Looking forward to your reply. Thanks a million.

Oh, you . I've reviewed it, you should receive it shortly.

Cheers.

hello, i sent it again with the title 'Mannix' hope you get it this time. Thanks