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SALT LAKE CITY -- News flash to young job seekers: it's not OK to wear your flip-flops to a job interview.
A new survey of 100 firms found Generation "Text" doesn't understand key aspects of office etiquette -- especially when it comes to the job interview. For example, leaving in the nose ring, sporting flip-flops and even using words like "dude" with a prospective employer.
Carly Hazen, an executive recruiter for Prince, Perelson and Associates, says people in college get used to an abbreviated style of communication, encouraged by texting, Twitter and Facebook. But when it comes to writing your resume, 140 characters aren't appropriate.
They're a lot more casual in their attire, a lot more casual in their conversation style, a lot more casual in their follow-up for interviews.
–Carly Hazen
"A lot of these individuals don't have the basic fundamentals on how to put together a well-written resume, a well-written cover letter, you know, proper interview attire," Hazen says. "They're a lot more casual in their attire, a lot more casual in their conversation style, a lot more casual in their follow-up for interviews."
The jobless rate is higher among job seekers aged 20 to 24, according to the latest numbers from the U.S. Labor Department. It's at 14 percent for that age group. It means there were 2.2 million people in that age group who were unemployed in November.
The informal survey of 100 firms was conducted by Mary Milla and Marta Rhyner, the communications consultants and media trainers behind www.onetrophy.com. They talked to 100 of their own clients to find out what was lacking among young job seekers.
A whopping 98 percent said college graduates need more help gearing up for job interviews. Another 63 percent said young jobseekers don't know how to offer "succinct examples" of why they're uniquely qualified.
Hazen says some of the most common mistakes or faux pas committed by young job seekers are asking right off the bat, "How much does the job pay?"
A second error is coming in with the mindset of what the company can do for them instead of how they can contribute to the company. Third, she says they're often not doing their research.
"I think one of the worst mistakes that candidates can make is not doing the research. They don't know enough about the company, they don't know enough about the position at hand to really have a comprehensive discussion about it and how to market themselves," Hazen says.
Finally, she says younger candidates often don't realize their e-mail handle isn't professional. For example, tinkerbellwings25@hotmail.com isn't exactly going to stand out to a prospective employer as the e-mail address of an up-and-coming go-getter -- but if you want to be recognized as what not to do, go ahead and put that one on your resume.
E-mail: bbruce@ksl.com
