Application Pet Peeve

Helloooo again.

I feel the need to share a pet peeve of mine regarding the application process. A crucial piece of information that employers want to know is your employment history for previous jobs. A resume that contains fewer, longer lasting jobs looks much better than a resume with several short term jobs. Of course we all know the economy is not in tip top shape at the moment, so if you’ve been laid off from several jobs due to lack of work, an employer is more likely to understand that than if you quit your last seven jobs in the past two years. The latter scenario will make you appear unreliable to an employer. Also, make sure you include the dates of employment. I can’t even begin to tell you how annoyed I become when that field is left blank on an application. My annoyance level rises when I inquire about the dates and an applicant says, “I don’t know. I can’t remember.” Well…if you don’t know, I can’t help you. You may not realize it, but that is a key factor that employers look at. If you know you are going to be filling out an application, show up prepared. Contact your previous employers for your dates of employment if you don’t remember.
All of this information brings me to another important point: if you can’t seem to remember your dates of employment to put on an application, you obviously do not have a resume. MAKE ONE. Before you begin the process of looking for a job, take some time to contact your previous employers to get the necessary information (current telephone number and contact name in case references are checked and dates of employment). Compile all the information on a resume and include it with every application you fill out. This will ensure that you have all the information you need to complete an application, and the interviewer will not be left wondering if you are going to quit after a few weeks. Easy enough, right?!