On Attention to Detail
I recently posted a job announcement, here's how it went.
A little over two weeks ago, I posted a job announcement to LinkedIn inviting interested applicants to apply to work with my consulting firm. I kept the announcement concise and clear: No more than seven lines of text and straight to the point. I received 30 applications, and I had to reject all 30 of them.
You're probably thinking:
"Why?"
"Could you not find a single suitable candidate in a pool of 30?"
"Maybe you have unrealistic expectations."
"It's difficult as it is to apply for a job without recruiters and employers having such impossible standards."
"You should be ashamed of yourself."
Turst me; while I was reflecting on the recruitment process, I thought many of the same things too, but here's what you need to know:
1- The job announcement has very minimal requirements (as long as you can demonstrate that you are good at what you do and are up to standard, then I don't care if/where from you have a degree, a sparkly recommendation letter, or a stellar character reference from your next door neighbor. Soft skills can be trained, and I've made a career out of it.
2- The job announcement called on applicants to email a detailed resume, a sample of their work, and any relevant certification to a specific email address (no application forms, no convoluted third-party recruitment websites, nothing).
3- One of the main tasks required by the job is editing.
Now that we're on the same information page, can you guess why I had to turn down all 30 applicants? Take a few seconds to think about it if you need.
"Attention To Detail is crucial!"
How am I, a recruiter, supposed to hire any of the applicants when they've just demonstrated that they lack the very basic level of attention to detail required to read a a job announcement? This is not a typo, a misspelling, or a forgotten attachment....
As a recruiter, I cannot help but interpret that as one of two things: carelessness or complacency. Neither of those things are a good basis for starting professional or personal relationships. In fact, they are among the the leading causes of why enterprises die out and administrations fail.
So, next time you're applying for a job or looking to start any kind of partnership, take a minute to evaluate what your actions (or lack of action in this case) are saying about you.
PS -- If you've made it this far, did you find the typos I left for you? There are three!
