80% of success is showing up
One of Woody Allen's famed quotes, "80% of success is showing up" seems too simple, but is an amazing truth -- especially when in the position of a job applicant.
Whenever a job opens up, in this Internet age, many people can apply for it on-line...probably without really taking time to look at the position carefully or to modify their resume and cover letter to suit. Then, they wonder why no one contacts them because the employers spend tons of time plowing through irrelevant applications that do not apply to their position e.g. Career Objectives do not match the industry or position they are pursuing.
One of my grouses as an employer is the sheer number of candidates who apply for a job and their skills/experience do not remotely match the job they are applying for. To boot, they do not even supply a cover letter to at least explain why they should be considered for what is clearly a mismatched application. If everyone takes the employment application more seriously, say, akin to the process of applying to college where one even has to pay an application fee, things would be much different. Less time is wasted reading irrelevant or non-serious applications, and the applicants will have a higher chance of getting some form of communication from their potential employer.
But what gets me even more annoyed are those who either do not call back for their phone interview or even worse, those who schedule a job interview and do not show up at all -- and do not call in advance, email after, or communicate in any way thereafter. Similar to an eBay transaction review, employers should have the ability to rate applicants publicly. I'm just tired of people who say they can't find jobs, yet when the opportunity presents itself to them, they squander it away.
Job applicants may be surprised to know that this crazy phenomenon -- yes, even during the down times of 2009 -- is happening to employers, and in fact, is happening with at least an equal if not higher frequency than during the boom times. Impossible, you might say! People can't be that silly to throw away an opportunity, or could they? Aren't we hearing in the news that people are living in tents, and managers are happy to take an hourly wage job as janitors just to survive? The fact is, all one needs to do to increase their odds of getting the job, is to show up at their interview! Even if one is not sure about the job, the point for an interview is for both parties to explore and learn if a fit might be found.
As one of many million American taxpayers sponsoring unemployment payout extensions, I'd like to see some form of accountability put in place. For example, if a person benefiting from unemployment applies for a job and lands a job interview, s/he must show up (or explain your absence) otherwise unemployment for that week can be withheld. This may seem harsh, but as an employer, I just don't always see that job seekers are really trying hard enough.
A good follow-up for Woody Allen's quote is Wayne Gretsky's quote, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
If you've ever thought that the odds of getting the job for which you were granted an interview is low, well, not showing up ensures that your odds of NOT getting the job is 100%...those are generally not odds one wants during any job market. All you have to do is show up...is that so much to ask?
Whenever a job opens up, in this Internet age, many people can apply for it on-line...probably without really taking time to look at the position carefully or to modify their resume and cover letter to suit. Then, they wonder why no one contacts them because the employers spend tons of time plowing through irrelevant applications that do not apply to their position e.g. Career Objectives do not match the industry or position they are pursuing.
One of my grouses as an employer is the sheer number of candidates who apply for a job and their skills/experience do not remotely match the job they are applying for. To boot, they do not even supply a cover letter to at least explain why they should be considered for what is clearly a mismatched application. If everyone takes the employment application more seriously, say, akin to the process of applying to college where one even has to pay an application fee, things would be much different. Less time is wasted reading irrelevant or non-serious applications, and the applicants will have a higher chance of getting some form of communication from their potential employer.
But what gets me even more annoyed are those who either do not call back for their phone interview or even worse, those who schedule a job interview and do not show up at all -- and do not call in advance, email after, or communicate in any way thereafter. Similar to an eBay transaction review, employers should have the ability to rate applicants publicly. I'm just tired of people who say they can't find jobs, yet when the opportunity presents itself to them, they squander it away.
Job applicants may be surprised to know that this crazy phenomenon -- yes, even during the down times of 2009 -- is happening to employers, and in fact, is happening with at least an equal if not higher frequency than during the boom times. Impossible, you might say! People can't be that silly to throw away an opportunity, or could they? Aren't we hearing in the news that people are living in tents, and managers are happy to take an hourly wage job as janitors just to survive? The fact is, all one needs to do to increase their odds of getting the job, is to show up at their interview! Even if one is not sure about the job, the point for an interview is for both parties to explore and learn if a fit might be found.
As one of many million American taxpayers sponsoring unemployment payout extensions, I'd like to see some form of accountability put in place. For example, if a person benefiting from unemployment applies for a job and lands a job interview, s/he must show up (or explain your absence) otherwise unemployment for that week can be withheld. This may seem harsh, but as an employer, I just don't always see that job seekers are really trying hard enough.
A good follow-up for Woody Allen's quote is Wayne Gretsky's quote, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
If you've ever thought that the odds of getting the job for which you were granted an interview is low, well, not showing up ensures that your odds of NOT getting the job is 100%...those are generally not odds one wants during any job market. All you have to do is show up...is that so much to ask?
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