7 Ways You’re Scaring Off Recruiters and How to Fix the Mistakes

Job searching is like dating: each side involved is trying to find the perfect fit. You’re sizing up an employer to see if they’ve got what it takes to make you happy. The employer is evaluating whether you can make their dreams come true as a productive, successful team member.

However, much like dating, there are some behaviors that can be a turn-off. No, we’re not talking about things like mansplaining at the dinner table or endlessly sharing stories about an ex. Instead, we’re talking about ways that you may — knowingly or unknowingly — be discouraging recruiters from giving you an interview or even that coveted offer letter.

Here are seven ways you may be scaring off recruiters and hiring managers. Job seekers, beware.

1 Unfocused resume and social media profiles

It’s great that you have three certifications, loads of hobbies, and the ability to multitask like the best of them. However, when you are applying for a role, it’s vital that your resume and LinkedIn profile clearly tell a compelling narrative about why you are the ideal candidate for the job. This is why some experts recommend having more than one resume. Your resume should clearly convey why you are a good fit for the specific role, as opposed to being a catch-all document for all of the jobs you’ve worked in your life. Similarly, your LinkedIn profile should mirror your resume and expound on some of the details, including projects you’ve worked on, articles you’ve been featured in, professional organizations you are a member of, etc. Recruiters, on average, take six to seven seconds to read a resume. If yours is a mash-up of your greatest hits, they won’t know what to take away from it. In the end, an unfocused resume may be the reason recruiters aren’t calling you back.

Here’s a tip:  Grammarly runs on powerful algorithms developed by the world’s leading linguists, and it can save you from misspellings, hundreds of types of grammatical and punctuation mistakes, and words that are spelled right but used in the wrong context. Learn More 

READ: 9 Mistakes to Avoid on Social Media While Looking for a New Job

2 Excessive numbers of applications

While you may be uber passionate to work at a particular company, resist the urge to apply to every open role that you might qualify for. Seeing your name and application pop up for four or five job listings sends a clear message to recruiters: You don’t know what you want, or you’re not decisive. If there are a handful of roles that, initially, you think you’d be a good fit for, print our the job descriptions and really read them. Compare them with one another. Notice the differences, and then start prioritizing which ones are a better fit given your skills, experience, and education.

Don’t be that person whose name pops up in an inbox multiple times, like an email stalker. Home in on one or two roles that you feel strongly about and apply to those.

3 Overeager emails, calls, and follow-ups

You’ve applied to a position. You’re feeling good, but then . . . nothing. Silence. A couple of weeks go by and you haven’t heard back from a recruiter. If you’ve found yourself in the job search black hole, it’s okay to follow up with a professional email. However, if you have emailed twice, called three times, and left a Facebook message for the recruiter, you’ve gone too far. You are scaring him/her. Hell, you’re scaring us. Begging for a response doesn’t make you look like the professional, informed candidate that a company would want to hire. It’s safe to say that if you haven’t heard from an employer after three weeks and a follow-up email, you should move on to the next opportunity.

READ: How to Write a Follow-up Email After a Job Interview

4 Repeatedly rescheduling calls, interviews, and meetings

Recruiters get it. Schedules get busy and calendar conflicts arise. However, if you’ve rescheduled a phone interview, in-person interview, or follow-up call, be cautious about continuing to reschedule. Most talent acquisition pros are juggling multiple requisitions and dozens of applicants. You’re making their job harder by constantly rescheduling, and what’s worse is that you’re giving yourself a bad reputation. Be punctual and reliable.

5 Incomplete or incorrect information

In the same vein, you may be scaring off recruiters with your incomplete application or incorrect information. As an informed candidate, you should not only be highly engaged and well-informed but also make a recruiter’s job easier by giving them the right information. That means full and complete information for your references, a fully filled out application, and an easily accessible portfolio or work samples. Ideally, you want to make a recruiter’s interactions with you as pleasant and seamless as possible so that hiring you is an even bigger delight.

READ: What Are the Best Ways to Show Your Skills to an Employer?

6 Bashing former employers on social media

Airing a former employer’s dirty laundry or badmouthing former colleagues is one of the quickest ways to scare off potential employers. After all, who wants to hire someone who has a track record of bashing? When critiquing former employers or colleagues on social media or even when you leave an anonymous Glassdoor review, always be fair and professional. Whether your name is attached to it or not, it’s important that recruiters see that no matter what may have transpired between you and a previous employer, you still know how to handle yourself with grace and class.

7 Inconsistent interview performance

Lastly, inconsistent interactions with team members of your potential employer can put off a recruiter, or at the very least make them question your fit for the role. Being inconsistent in interviews, phone calls, or work samples can send the signal that you’ll be an inconsistent employee, which is not what you want a recruiter or hiring manager to think about you. And while this final behavior may not scare off recruiters quite like the aforementioned actions, it’s important to remember that you must consistently perform during the application process with everyone you come into contact with so that they have a clear impression of the kind of informed candidate you are.

A version of this post originally appeared on Glassdoor’s blog.

More from Glassdoor:

The Ultimate Guide to Analyzing a Company’s Glassdoor Page

10 Smart Ways to Improve Your Chances for a Raise

8 Honest Reasons You Didn’t Make It Past the First Interview

Compound Words

When two words are used together to yield a new meaning, a compound is formed. Compound words can be written in three ways: as open compounds (spelled as two words, e.g., ice cream), closed compounds (joined to form a single word, e.g., doorknob), or hyphenated compounds (two words joined by a hyphen, e.g., long-term). Sometimes, more than two words can form a compound (e.g., mother-in-law).

The most common spelling quandary writers face is whether to write compounds as separate words, one word, or hyphenated words.

Open Compound Words

An open compound word is created in cases when the modifying adjective is used with its noun to create a new noun. This isn’t quite the same as a noun with a modifying adjective. We just use a space between the adjective and the noun, so sometimes it can be hard to identify as a compound; however, if the two words are commonly used together, it’s considered to be a compound word.

living room

full moon

real estate

dinner table

coffee mug

When adverbs ending in -ly combine with another word, the resulting compound is always spelled as two separate words.

largely irrelevant

newly formed

Closed Compound Words

Closed compound words look like one word. At one point, these words weren’t used together, but they’re now accepted as a “real word” in the English language. Closed compound words are usually made up of only two words. Here are some closed compound examples.

notebook

Superman

waistcoat

bookstore

fireman

The English language is always evolving, and when words become used more frequently, they are often eventually written as one word. When the Internet first began, for example, we talked about going on-line. Now that this is a daily experience for most of us, the spelling online has become commonly accepted.

Hyphenated Compound Words

There are a great many grammar rules regarding hyphens in compound words. One important rule of thumb to remember is that in most cases, a compound adjective is hyphenated if placed before the noun it modifies, but not if placed after the noun.

a long-term solution

an up-to-date user guide

But…

This is not a good solution for the long term.

This user guide is not up to date.

This is just one of many rules concerning hyphens in compound words and it is often necessary to consult the dictionary to determine whether these terms should be hyphenated or not.

31 Words and Phrases You No Longer Need

Close your eyes. Imagine words as people in an office setting. The verbs scurry about, active and animated, getting things done. The adjectives and adverbs conjure ideas and images in the marketing department. But there’s always that one guy. See him? He’s over by the water cooler, leaning against the wall. He’s omnipresent, and yet nobody really knows what he does. He may be hanging around, but he sure doesn’t seem to be pulling his weight.

That One Guy could represent any word or phrase that always shows up in our writing but doesn’t contribute anything. Here’s a list of thirty-one words and phrases you need to take off your payroll this year.

Slacker Words and Phrases

At all times

Watch out for flabby phrases at all times.

Each and every

Look for filler words in your writing each and every day daily.

As yet

We don’t know as yet whether we’ll succeed.

In order

Eliminate excess verbiage in order to clean up your writing.

Basically, essentially

These words basically don’t add value. They’re essentially useless.

Totally, completely, absolutely, literally, actually

Without filler words, your writing will be totally fabulous.

Very, really, quite, rather, extremely

These very common words are really not useful. They’re rather dull.

Simply

Simply Don’t use this word often.

Pretty

It’s a pretty good idea to use this one sparingly, too.

Just

If your sentence works without it, you just don’t need this word.

That

This is a word that you should only use when you need it for clarity.

Up, down

We don’t care whether you stand up or sit down to write, just write cleanly!

In the process of

We’re in the process of learning to remove wordiness.

As a matter of fact

As a matter of fact, Your skills have improved.

All of

All of Your readers will enjoy reading cleaner copy.

As being

You’ll be known as being a proficient writer!

Being that

Being that Because you’re the best writer in your class, you’re sure to get good grades.

During the course of

During the course of the writing lesson, we learned some new tricks!

For all intents and purposes, For the most part

For all intents and purposes, Our writing has improved.

Point in time

You don’t need to use filler words at this point in time now.

Every word needs to have a purpose in your writing, and there are plenty that don’t contribute anything but clutter. Now that you have a list of common offenders, how many more can you think of? Leave a comment!

Everyday vs. Every day

• Everyday is an adjective we use to describe something that’s seen or used every day. It means “ordinary” or “typical.”
• Every day is a phrase that simply means “each day.”

Compound words, like anytime and any time, sometimes don’t have the same meaning as the individual words they comprise. It’s a case of the whole being different from the sum of its parts. Everyday and every day are like that—everyday (with no space) doesn’t mean the same thing as every day (with a space). In speech, however, they do sound the same. No wonder it’s so easy to confuse them with each other. What does each phrase mean and how do you use them?

Difference Between Everyday and Every Day

The everyday vs. every day dilemma is not an uncommon one. These two words suffer from the same problems as anytime and any time, or anyone and any one—compounds can be a source of much confusion. So let’s see how we define and use everyday and how we define and use every day.

Everyday

Everyday (as one word) is an adjective. Thesauruses list average, mundane, ordinary, and standard as synonyms. “Everyday clothing,” then, refers to the ordinary clothes you wear on regular days, as opposed to outfits designated for special events or holidays. Occasionally, people use everyday as a noun—it’s a shorthand way of referring to their everyday routines.

Every Day

Every day means “each day.” The easiest way to remember this is to think about the space separating the two words. Because of that space, “every” is simply an adjective modifying the word “day.” If you paired every with any other word, it would mean each—every day means “each day”, just like “every word” means “each word.” There’s nothing more to it.

If you’re still having trouble distinguishing between everyday and every day and you don’t know when to use which, you’ll be alright as long as you remember that in every day you can easily replace “every” with “each.” So, if you’re talking about how often you wear green pants, you’d say “I wear green pants every day. It still makes sense if you replace “every” with “each”: I wear green pants each day. On the other hand, you can’t say “I wear pants eachday” because there’s no such word.

Examples: Everyday and Every Day in Sentences

It’s sweaty foot season, so this week on Kinja Co-Op, we’re on the hunt for the best everyday men’s socks. —Lifehacker

For most Brazilians, everyday crime is a much more imminent threat than terrorism. —The New York Times

But the real point is this: You need to think and act like you are selling your business, every day. —The Globe and Mail

But people do it all across the globe every day. —The Huffington Post

 

Hyperbole

Hyperbole (hi-PER-buh-lee) is language that is obviously exaggerated and not meant to be taken literally. Writers often use hyperbole for emphasis or to be funny.

Hyperbole: The Best Thing Ever

You can find hyperbole in plenty of English idioms: She’s asked a million questions. You could have knocked me over with a feather. He’s as quiet as a mouse. Now I’ve seen everything.

Where and When to Use Hyperbole

Hyperbole, like metaphors and similes, is a type of figurative language. In fact, metaphors and similes often incorporate hyperbole. When done right, hyperbole can make your writing livelier and more engaging for readers. Consider the difference between these two sentences:

Many people heard Jeremy shouting when the spider landed on him. The entire tri-state area could hear Jeremy shouting when the spider landed on him.

Both of these sentences mean that lots of people heard Jeremy. But the hyperbole in the second sentence places particular emphasis on Jeremy’s volume. Of course it’s impossible for one person’s shout to travel for hundreds of miles—the point is that Jeremy was really freaking out about that spider.

Beware the Hyperbolic “Literally”

Sometimes, people use the word “literally” in a figurative sense to amplify an already hyperbolic statement. But unless your teacher has asked you to go out and, say, harass a cranky grizzly bear, This homework is literally killing me! is just a hyperbolic way to say that your homework is harder or more abundant than you’d like. Although this usage is widespread and even accepted by some dictionaries, it’s generally a good idea to avoid it because many readers find it annoying. In the example above, you can even get rid of “literally” without sacrificing the hyperbole: This homework is killing me!

What Were the Most Common Email Mistakes of 2017?

How’s your email game? Are people happy to correspond with you, or are they leaving you hanging?

The quality of your email communication can significantly impact how you’re perceived by others (especially in business). And though we all do our best to write like a boss, grammatical errors still creep in.

Fortunately we can learn from our own (and others’) mistakes. So as the year wraps up, let’s take a moment to reflect on the fifteen most common email mistakes made by Grammarly users in 2017 and find out what we can all do to step up our email game in 2018.

1Misspelled Words

Sometimes we make spelling mistakes because it’s difficult to type on tiny touchscreen keyboards. Other times we’re just not sure how a word is spelled.

Either way, misspelled words were by far the most common email error in 2017. Good thing Grammarly’s here to catch these pesky errors in your browser and on your iPhone.

2Repeated Words

The runner up for most common error? Repeated words.

I love watching movies, but going to the movie theater is very expensive. When I want to see a movie, I usually just rent one.

Things can get tedious when you use the same words over and over and over. . . Energize your writing by employing synonyms instead of the same word repeatedly.

Struggling to think of an alternative word? Do a quick thesaurus search for inspiration!

3Vague Words

No one enjoys a bland meal—or bland writing. Spice up your writing by avoiding bland, nonspecific words like:

• Good
• Nice
• Awesome
• Greatly

Even a simple change such as “We had a lovely meal” instead of “We had a nice meal” can make a big difference.

Use these nine easy tips to improve bland writing.

4Misspelled Names

Misspelling a place name can be embarrassing (it’s “Albuquerque” not “Albaquerque”).

Misspelling the name of a hiring manager or potential client can be horrifying (it’s “Kathryn” not “Katharine,” but you didn’t care enough to figure that out).

Always do your due diligence to make sure you have the correct spelling. And, just in case, here’s how to salvage your credibility after misspelling someone’s name.

5Not Capitalizing the First Word in a Sentence

We’ve grown so used to the informality of texting that it can be easy to forget most emails (especially for work communication) still require proper capitalization and punctuation.

You can grab a quick refresher on capitalization rules here.

6Passive Voice

Passive voice is grammatically correct but is stylistically frowned upon in formal #writing. #grammar pic.twitter.com/zB4n7lDuvs

— Grammarly (@Grammarly) December 21, 2015

In most situations, using the active voice in lieu of the passive voice will bring greater energy and clarity to your writing.

. . . But occasionally the passive voice is the more appropriate choice.

Not sure how to identify the passive voice or when it’s okay to use? Here’s everything you need to know about using the passive voice correctly.

7Missing Comma Before a Conjunction

Some of us overuse commas, and some don’t use them enough. Commas can greatly affect the meaning of a sentence, so mastering their use is a worthwhile skill.

Here’s a refresher on common rules of usage and how to use commas in complex sentences.

Some people have strong feelings about the Oxford comma and it’s not hard to see why. #punctuation pic.twitter.com/QCtAKA47l4

— Magoosh SAT & ACT (@MagooshSAT_ACT) November 4, 2017

8Sentence Ends Without Punctuation

How the Internet killed the world’s most important #punctuation mark. Sigh… https://t.co/IZXnYj5QPe by @em_dash3 Fault of #socialmedia? @elainasaunt @styleguide @guardianstyle @econstyleguide @ProofreadJulia What’s your view? pic.twitter.com/k8xo1DvO5v

— Alison Benney (@ParisFitness) November 17, 2017

While a period (full stop) used in a text message can imply anger or harshness, this is not the case with email.

Keep your credibility (and make your meaning clear) by punctuating the end of your sentences. Period.

9Proper Noun Not Capitalized

Knowing which words to capitalize can be confusing! I’ve been a copywriter for several years and I still double check capitalization rules. Get clear on proper nouns and how to use them with this quick guide.

10Empty Phrase

Are your sentences full of hot air?

Phrases like “as a matter of fact,” “in a manner of speaking,” “clearly,” and “generally” may seem polished, but they’re unnecessary and end up cluttering your writing.

Streamline your writing by cutting out these thirty-one words and phrases you no longer need.

11Numerals Instead of Words

Did you know it’s not always appropriate to use a numeral (1, 15, 5,000)? Sometimes the correct route is to spell a number out (one, fifteen, five thousand).

Here’s a quick guide for when to spell numbers and when to use numerals.

12Unclear Antecedent

Sansa and her sister Arya often fought as children, which was difficult for her.

In the example sentence it’s unclear which sister found their quarrels difficult. Keep your writing crystal clear by clarifying which antecedent (Sansa or Arya) the pronoun (her) refers to.

Want to learn more? Check out the basics of antecedents here.

13Comma Splice

She forgot to use a conjunction, the sentence was incorrect.

A comma splice occurs when you join two independent clauses with a comma and no conjunction.

Here are some examples of common comma splices to watch out for, plus how to fix them.

14Missing Comma After Introductory Clause

As Joanna reviewed her Weekly Writing Update she realized her lack of comma use.

Unfortunately, this is often the top error listed in my Grammarly Writing Update each week. Don’t make the same mistakes as me. Learn how to properly use commas with introductory clauses.

15Wordiness

Is verbosity hurting your writing? Overly long sentences may confuse and bore your audience.

You can improve readability and clarity by streamlining your writing or breaking your mondo sentences into multiple sentences.

Check out these great tips for cleaning up your dirty writing, getting to the point in everything you write, and purging unnecessary words from your emails.

Further Reading

Dig into these articles and become an email master:

• An Editor’s Guide to Writing Ridiculously Good Emails
• 17 Email Etiquette Rules to Know and Practice
• How to Make a Clear, Assertive Point Over Email
• 7 Brilliant Tips on How to Proofread Emails

What will you do to uplevel your email communication in 2018?

8 Scrumptious Words to Describe Your Thanksgiving Dinner

Chefs are like writers—always combining the elements of their trade to create new works of art. How else do you think we got ice cream made with liquid nitrogen? When it comes to describing food, some writers stick to common words: delicious, tasty, yummy. But eating is a multisensory experience. Here are some scrumptious food adjectives to appeal to all our senses.

Toothsome means pleasing to the taste. But the mention of teeth conjures up thoughts of how food feels in your mouth. For some, the appeal of potato chips is in the delightful crunch. Many disdain cereal after milk changes its texture. Which foods please your palate and your teeth?

Ambrosial derives from ambrosia. You might know it as a sweet fruit dessert, but it was first the name of the food of the gods of Greek mythology. Now, anything especially delicious or fragrant is ambrosial. Can you think of a snack that smells and tastes divine?

Redolent refers to having a pleasing odor. Writers often use it for foods that are naturally fragrant, such as garlic, herbs, and citrus fruits.

Nectarous foods have the sweet, delicious taste of nectar or resemble it in appearance. Rarely, the adjective is spelled nectareous or nectarean. However you spell it, the food it describes is delish!

Sapid dishes are agreeable to the tongue. Sapid also means flavorful. Yes, it’s a rather mild compliment to give, but praise is praise.

Aperitive means stimulating to the appetite. You may know the related French word, apéritifs: appetite-boosting alcoholic beverages such as pastis, champagne, or dry sherry. Fragrant spices, such as cinnamon, cardamom, and fennel are aperitive. That’s why the smell of highly spiced foods may make your stomach rumble.

Many of the adjectives in this article are defined in the dictionary using the terms “agreeable” or “pleasing”.

Piquant is no different. In particular, piquant meals are pungent, sharp, biting, or tart—in a good way. To give you an idea, peppery, zesty, and highly seasoned are among the synonyms of this flavorful word.

Herbaceous fare often smells amazing. Rosemary, mint, and other aromatic herbs are responsible for the mouthwatering odors. In addition to their smell and taste, herbs offer health benefits. Research from the National Academy of Sciences suggests that oregano, for example, is helpful in fighting inflammation.

How was your last meal? Perhaps before reading this article, you would have been content to describe it as delectable. But after considering how eating activates the senses, can you think of a better adjective? Why not surprise your host at the next dinner party you attend with an adjective that reflects how multidimensional the food is!