Congratulations

Graduate!
Eleven Reasons Why I Will Never Hire You.

by Mark OToole - PR & content at HB Agency

o
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The
real
world
awaits.

Bushy-tailed
and excited,

you young
graduates
storm the
job boards.

Never mind the color of your

parachute, some of you have

no parachutes at all.

And that can lead

to a hard landing.

Employers
know that
not all grads
are created

equal.

Sometimes
we hire
people like
you into
entry-level
positions.

More often though, we dont.

Because

You are just

not the right fit.

A more impressive candidate

captured our attention.

Or you are
simply a
victim of
some other
random
event out
of your

I didnt post
that picture.

But too many of you

who had the skills
and capabilities to
make the cut or get
a second interview
blew it.

in You
te r
br rv dis
ou ie a
gh wi st
t y ng ro
ou sk us
do il
wn ls
.

why?

Is it you?

Your
family
support
system?

ca Y
re ou
er r
se sc
rv ho
ice o
s s ls
ta
ff
?

Whatever the reason,

there are consistent
themes as to why you
didnt get the job.

This wont be the first time youve heard

these and it wont be the last, but as your
class flourishes shiny new resumes in front
of prospective employers, here are the top
reasons why I will never hire you.

1.
Your resume

is
longer than that of a
25-year professional.

I appreciate your desire to

showcase your
classwork,
high school
accomplishments,
extracurricular
endeavors and your
three marketing
projects.

But I need

to see

clarity and definition in what you present.

Make it relevant, make it concise, make it focused.

An
overly
long
resume
does not
impress
me.

(A ridiculously short resume is equally

dangerous. Did you do anything besides attend class?)

You
didnt
prepare

for our interview.

Youre probably a better

internet surfer than I am, so
why didnt you spend a few
minutes gathering intelligence
about me or my business?

X
X
X

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;
h
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ct
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You eye co ; give th tions.
s
e
n
e
k
o
i
u
a
t
q
a
m
t
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l
r
u
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ffi
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answ

(Im not always

concerned with
your actual
answer but
rather your
composure
and thinking
process when
answering it).

3
q

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Look up questions to ask online.

questions grads should ask in an interview

Find 30 questions
no one has ever asked me.

Show me
how you
gather
information.

Do you want me to think

Im going to have to
do the work for you,
or that youll show up
prepared every day?

You wrote a
thank you note,
and only used it to thank me.

I also enjoyed our

time together,
so instead
of just
thanking me,

add value.

Use
your
note (email or
note/card are all fine
nothing is not)
to show your
passion for
this job.

Reflect upon
what you
learned
in the interview.

Confirm
why
youre the
candidate
of my
dreams.

You
dressed
for
failure.

My workplace
is casual,
at least most of the time.

Many offices are

these days.

But you should not be for an interview.

it .

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J
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I want to know what youll look like when I take you to see a client.

Show me that you understand this.

what
you want

But when you tell me that,

youre basically saying,

please invest loads of
time and money into me,
and maybe it will help
me figure out that I want
to do something else.

e
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Your follow-up

note should
hammer the
point home.

Im
n
all-t ot lo
o
r
a
post des king
ing . (If for a
wou I w jac
ld h ere, k-o
ave the fs a i d j ob
so.)

a ja
ck
, the
j
d

Because Im not
really into candidates
who wont throw
themselves 100%
into the opportunity
at hand.

7.

You dont get

social media
(but think you do).

I dont expect
you to be an
expert in
anything
just getting
out of
school, but
your resume
claims social
media expertise.

Dumb Tweeter
@dumbtweeter

Your eight tweets in the last six months

are not signs of immersion. (And your
regular use of #fuckinA isnt effective.)

Your blank
Pinterest
page is
less than
compelling.

Spelling Tumblr
with an e
says something
but not the
right thing.

Dabble in social while at school for sure.

Tell me
you have
exposure
to social
networks.

Just dont try to

impress me with

expertise
that does not
exist yet.

oo d Did
i
fr dn nt
ea t
d.

Y
pr ou

d grammar
If you cant eliminate
bad grammar or
misspellings from your
resume or cover letter,
how can I expect you
to write an error-free
report for a client?

spellings from y
me or cover let
can I expect yo

You DONt
HAVE A LINKEDIN PROFILE

LinkedIN IS THE Place to

showcase
your professional
skills, even if they
are nascent

ht line
g
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up
s on

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t
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Set i are lots of t it some love
(there ) and give
p
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While this is more for those

still in school than those
just out, nothing makes you
more attractive to me than
knowing youve been exposed
to a similar work environment.

Internships also help you decide if my job represents

the right structure for you saving us both time and agony
if it turns out you just dont like what we do.

I get 50-100 resumes each

semester from new graduates.
Those with internships sit well
ahead of those without.

You lacked
professional courtesy!

You were two minutes late.

You looked away when you shook my hand

I introduced
you to my
colleague
and you didnt
even ask her
what she does.

Why would I want

to expose you
to my clients?

WHY?

You and your

family have invested
vast amounts of

time and
money into
getting
your diploma.

Its a small bit of extra effort to make sure you dont ruin your chances in the interview.

I will hire someone I just wont hire you.

Job hunting is like a job unto itself.

You will get it right, but you need to work at it.
1. Make a right-sized resume its a door-opener only,
not your one and only chance to get an interview.
2. Interview prep makes you look like a rock star during
our conversation.
3.

Ask really good questions in the interview. It matters.

4. Use your promptly sent thank you note to reveal even more
awesome stuff about why you make sense for this job.
5.

Dress up it will make you feel better during our meeting.

6.

Stay focused.

7. Social media is mainstream but dont overplay it until you

know where it fits, or doesnt fit, in the job.
8.

No typos!

9. LinkedIn matters you become searchable, findable

and professional.
10. Internships set you apart (and give you great stuff for bullet #1).
11.

Practice hand-shaking at home!

Mark OToole is managing director of PR & content at HB agency, a B2B marketing and communications firm
with global clients in clean tech, medical tech and high tech. Despite the very true observations in the article
above, Mark has hired countless talented PR pros over the last 15 years. Reach Mark at motoole@hbagency
or on Twitter @markrotoole.
Design and layout courtesy of HBs Matt Gustavsen & Christine Tesseo.

To learn more about HBs branding, marketing and public relations expertise, please visit www.hbagency.com.