Rushed. Haphazard. Hectic. Frenzied. Careless. Disorganized
Recently, sajet was contracted to conduct a recruitment seeking additional contract flight attendant support for a client based in Southern California. The posting stated the recruitment was open for two weeks and to submit only a Cover Letter and Resume.
For this specific posting, we received over 50 resumes to review. However, the majority of the submissions had several business etiquette errors. Most of these errors made could have been easily avoided had they simply paused and given it some focus and attention.
Errors found:
- 31 – provided no Cover Letter as requested
- 17 – failed to address me by name – even though it stated whom to direct submissions to.
- 9 – Used no greeting or salutation, “ Hello …” “Dear ….”
- 8 – addressed it, “To Whom It May Concern”
- 2 – Addressed me by the wrong name!
- 1 – used a template Cover Letter but left the previous client’s name in the letter
- 14 – sent a blank email with only a resume attached – no cover letter or introduction
- 1 – attached multiple attachments of food photos (.jpg’s).
- 4 – featured outdated training information when they were actually current
- 5 – resided on the east coast
- 2 – resided in Europe
- 1 – resume provided in word.doc sent from an iPad – instead of a one-page resume it defaulted it into a 5-page resume with huge 48 pt sized type (did make me laugh though)
- 1 – resume was so poorly formatted and written, we actually couldn’t understand it
- 3 – falsified information on training and/or staffing agencies. Yes, we do check!
So I ask, what’s the rush? Coming in first place only counts in the interview, or horse-races, not how quickly you submit your resume. I can assure you, the person who submits last, has the same opportunity as the first, as long as it’s submitted within the requested deadline. There are no bonus points awarded to the first submitter. In fact, your early submissions are most likely given more stern eyes while reviewing.
Most recruiters are not forgiving when there are multiple qualified candidates. In this situation, I notified many of the applicants of their errors so they could correct them and avoid making these mistakes again. Of those few who responded, the majority indicated they knew it was rushed but wanted to submit sooner than later and admitted to throwing something together and sending it. I got the impression they felt justified in their reasoning. Unfortunately, this is a critical error I see too often.
FACT: Recruiters and managers, on average, scan a resume for no more than six seconds before they determine if they are proceeding or not. Six seconds. Not much time to impress. Therefore, make it count!
‘Attention to detail’ is one of the skill sets of a successful corporate flight attendant. This is a highly competitive industry and oversaturated in some markets therefore, you cannot afford to sabotage your own first impression with terrible business savvy. Spelling errors should be a thing of the past as there are too many tools available to clearly avoid such mistakes. If you cannot properly address an email, and provide exactly what is requested I can guarantee the recipient stopped reading and never even reviewed your resume. You closed that door of opportunity yourself.
Rushed. Haphazard. Hectic. Frenzied. Careless. Disorganized.
These are not characteristics that come to mind when looking for a professional corporate flight attendant and the recipient will assume this is also your work ethic. Is this what you will turn into during an emergency situation? Whether you are sending in your resume package or walking into the interview, if you make it to that point, you should be the complete opposite: Calm, Conscientious and Organized. Being eager for a potential job is commendable. Completely missing the mark because you acted too quickly is … well, unfortunate. Unfortunate for YOU! The only person who benefits from this is your competition.
When you are responding to a job post or recruitment, follow these simple rules.
Digest it, Pace yourself. Review it thoroughly in detail. Format your response. Proof read it. Spell Check it. Ask someone to edit it, and then, repeat! These rules could be used in any aspect of your business savvy. Followed by asking yourself, “am I fulfilling all of the requirements and requests for this company or recruiter?”
Once you are confident you have accomplished these tasks, proof read and spell check it one more time before sending it. You only have one chance to ‘land’ your first impression, make it count!
