By Phillip Wells

Sometimes getting the job is worse than not getting the job. Let me describe an experience I had several years ago when I worked for a defense contractor.

The Ax Falls

One day, my immediate supervisor advised me that my position had been eliminated. He explained that the company was reorganizing as part of a cost saving process. I guess I should have seen it coming. Anyone familiar with Department of Defense contracting understands that this is the nature of the business. It's either feast or famine.

I spent a long time looking for a new position. I was getting frustrated and started to feel that I would be out of work forever. Like most people, I'm not as young as I used to be. I still believe the comment "you're overqualified" is code for "you're too old."

Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

Finally, I landed a job offer. At the time, it appeared to be a God-send. But in a matter of about two weeks it became obvious that the new position was not the answer. The company culture and my beliefs did not match at all. I found that senior management was too secretive. For example, it was almost impossible to obtain needed information.

But that was just the tip of the iceberg. I soon learned that the company had a no-hire list that included the names of known union members living in town. And it wasn't just management. Employees had low morale and didn't socialize with each other at lunch.

I submitted my resignation within a couple of weeks. It was rejected. The owner and president of the company advised that he "understood my concern" and reassured me that the situation would be resolved.

But nothing changed. A few weeks passed. I spent most of my work time searching for qualified supervisors to hire. The president suggested that I use the current supervisors as a template for qualifications for new recruits. I agreed and did a study of the credentials held by the company's current supervisors.

The Supervisor Study

The results of the study turned out to be quite revealing. The company had seven supervisors. All of them lived in the small city in which the company was located. All of them had previously held two jobs. No more. No less. Supervisors who had held fewer than two jobs weren't hired because they were considered too inexperienced.

Supervisors who had held three or more jobs were also rejected for reasons based on their age. If they were between the ages of 30 and 40, they were tagged as "job hoppers." If they were under 30, they were deemed too immature. And if they were over 40, they were rejected as being too old.

Conclusion

I soon submitted my resignation for the second time. This time it was accepted. Looking back, I learned a couple of valuable lesson from this experience: First, people do get pegged according to their age. Secondly, even when you're out of work and your prospects appear bleak, it's a bad idea to rush into a job with a company before making sure it's the right fit.

THE 3 FASTEST WAYS TO GET YOUR RESUME CHUCKED INTO THE TRASH

When you reply to a job ad, the first hurdle you have to clear is the hiring manager. Just because you have the right credentials doesn't mean you won't get screened out.

Hiring managers tend to be very picky. I guess the task of having to wade through piles of resumes and cover letters doesn't exactly bring out the generous side of them. A recent survey of 650 hiring managers reveals the three biggest pet peeves of hiring managers. Committing one or more of these offenses is enough to land your resume in the circular file:

1. Using the Same Language from the Job Posting

44 percent of hiring managers say they automatically reject any resume or cover letter that parrots the exact words of the job ad.

2. Sending a Generic Cover Letter or Resume to Multiple Employers

48 percent of hiring managers say they want the resume and cover letter to be customized to the position. If it looks like you've spammed the same letter to numerous employers, e.g., you start the letter "Dear Human Resources Department" and include irrelevant past jobs, you're meat.

3. Spelling or Grammatical Errors

Misspelling words or using improper grammar drives hiring managers crazy. 49 percent of them say it's grounds for instant rejection. So use your computer spell check function.

Source: CareerBuilder.com, www.careerbuilder.com

Story Tools:  Email This Post  Print This Post Top