It's been said that San Francisco is the place to see all kinds . . . people from every walk of life, from conventional society to the strangest of subcultures. Given the locale, it would have been easy to dismiss the recruiting stories here as a phenomenon unique to a San Francisco job fair, except that these hiring managers - some of whom attend job fairs all over California - told us such scenes are all too often the norm in their never-ending quest for quality candidates.
So before you step out to the next job fair, take heed of these common transgressions and prepare to wow employers with your presence, professionalism and polish - or at the very least, show them a little consideration and common sense.
The Talking Head
We're so used to seeing people going about their business with a cellphone cradled to their ear that we think nothing of it - they're simply multitasking, conducting conversations while driving or shopping or even gardening. But if you think a potential employer will take positive note of your multitasking skills when you're on the phone as you approach their recruiting booth, think again.
A recruiter for BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) was appalled when one jobseeker at a recent San Francisco job fair came up to her while in the middle of a cellphone conversation. "She just kept talking and wouldn't hang up," the manager recounts. "It was just rude." Getting a chance to talk with all the candidates at a job fair is frustrating enough, she says, without someone coming up to you and trying to initiate a conversation while they're on the phone with someone else.
The Gumchewer
Janet Brown-Lynch, of the State Bar of California, had a similar experience with a jobseeker who approached her while vigorously chomping a wad of gum. "I could hardly hear what she was saying to me," Brown-Lynch says, recalling how the young woman stood snapping and cracking her gum between her teeth. "The gum was so loud."
While there are some mentions in job-search and interview guides about how to handle your gumchewing - if you choose to chew gum at all - the topic has not yet achieved status as a primary focus of discussion. Sophisticated rules of etiquette or simple common sense? You be the judge.
The Enabler
Both Tina Hernandez, of Auto Insurance Specialists, and Brown-Lynch have met this notorious job-fair goer: the wandering spouse or parent who's out job-hunting for a family member - or even several family members. It's one thing to attend a job fair with the goal of collecting information and company brochures or job announcements for someone who cannot attend, but it's amazing how many folks expect to find a job for another individual.
Hernandez, like many recruiters, frowns on the notion of job-hunting for friends or family members. Brown-Lynch says one job fair attendee even asked her to call his wife and children when positions became available. Such a request can leave a recruiter wondering, does this person understand the hiring process at all? Or do people really think a job fair is where you go and simply "sign up" for work?
Just to clear up any foggy ideas out there, a job fair is a forum for recruiters and candidates to meet face to face - nothing more. It's like a giant interview session, and each time you approach a recruiter's booth, you're entering the spotlight and being evaluated as a potential employee. Only when you make a strong in-person impression is the candidate screening process likely to continue, with a request for your resume or the opportunity to fill out an application . . . or even an offer for a formal interview. Whenever possible, the individual actually seeking employment should be present.
The Candymonger
As in any public event, many employers at job fairs have baskets of goodies that are free for the taking. There might be promotional items like pens, key chains or squeeze balls, or you might see a giant candy bowl. These offerings are tokens of appreciation to jobseekers who have made time to attend the event and talk face to face with employers. It's perfectly acceptable to take a piece of candy, for instance, after you've concluded a brief conversation with the recruiter manning the booth.
But BART's recruiter has encountered (on several occasions) the candymonger - the job fair attendee who swoops in for the candy, without a word or even a greeting to her. "One woman who was walking through the event with her children in tow approached the booth, grabbed the candy bowl, and took the whole thing," she tells. The woman shuffled off into a corner of the room, let her kids rummage through the whole bowl for the candy they wanted, and then - after several handfuls of candy had been taken from the bowl - returned it to the booth without a word.
The Chickenscratcher
If you've ever been to a job fair, you've probably noticed people sitting at tables around the event, filling out applications for work. It can be exciting to be given an application by an employer to fill out on the spot, and the tendency of many jobseekers is to fill it out right away and turn it in. But wait! Don't scribble out your work history too quickly. Remember that the way you fill out the application is in itself an example of your work.
Many of the recruiters we talked with shared the same sentiments about applications: They hate receiving messy, soiled or crumpled applications, and they're sometimes inclined to ignore altogether the "chickenscratch" application. When detailing all your data on applications, be sure to follow a few basic rules. Be accurate, answer every question, print clearly, and keep information within the boxes or spaces allowed. In short, be thorough and neat. It helps to have a personal "master list" to work from, so you can remember all the information required on applications.
Finally, it may seem redundant, but take the time to fill out each section on the application - even if you have a resume. Hernandez speaks for most recruiters when she says she won't accept an incomplete application. She wants to see it completely filled out, and she doesn't want to see the phrase "refer to resume" scribbled across entire sections. Most jobseekers don't realize that the completed application is not only a snapshot of your administrative skills, it's also a legal document that's required in the hiring process.
The Jack of All Trades
Another representative from BART says one of her pet peeves is when jobseekers claim they can do anything that's required of them, without telling her what their skills are. "It's the last thing I want to hear from a jobseeker," she says. "People come up to me and say they're a 'jack of all trades,' but there is no such thing, really." This recruiter finds it hard to respond to candidates who are eager, but indicate no particular expertise or career focus. "It's not about a wish list. You need to tell employers your qualifications."
The Body Artist
Call it a matter of subjective opinion, but body art on job candidates gets two thumbs down from Brown-Lynch of the State Bar. "It's not a cultural judgment," she says of her viewpoint. "It's just that it's distracting." Brown-Lynch expects jobseekers to have the courtesy to remove such visually prominent items as nose rings when they're talking to employers. She contends doing so would help jobseekers present a more professional image and help recruiters zero in on the skills they have to offer, not their personal sense of style.
The Know-It-All
All the employers we spoke to agreed with the BART recruiter who felt it's the know-it-alls who really rub her the wrong way at job fairs. "I had one woman come up and lecture me on how she was a real people person," she recalls. "Then she proceeded to disagree with me on several things I was telling her about our open positions." Since when does the jobseeker know more about the job than the recruiter? And how is it that a candidate can emphatically claim to be a people person while demonstrating an argumentative, combative personality?
A know-it-all is perhaps one of the worst labels you can get as a jobseeker. Overconfidence and arrogance are usually indicative of extreme insecurity, and employers know these traits usually mean trouble when it comes to interpersonal skills and an employee's ability to get along and work well with others.
And, despite all the technical skills in high demand today, people skills are still at the top of most recruiters' lists.
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