Even I know there is a difference in the way you dress for certain occasions!
The employer called the counselor to say that, on paper, Stacey looked like the perfect candidate. On interview day, she didn’t quite grasp how she should dress and behave in a real-life, adult situation.
Employers and colleges can’t be too careful. They check a lot of things now–facebook and myspace pages, transcripts and references, sometimes even school attendance and discipline records. They might even check to see if you have a credit history–so that charge card you got to buy the latest Wii games and will be paying off for . . . say the next 10 years can hurt you in ways you might not even think about.
And, how about your writing style? Hate to be the bearer of bad bones, vocabulary and grammar matter. Let’s talk about texting. My paws aren’t cut out for those tiny keys, so most of the time my bark has to speak for itself. However, my foster siblings are always texting.
Frizb 2 nite @ my pad. Last 1 der brngs da pizza. Dont b l8! Lol. Fine—for friends.
Wazzup Dr. K? C u 2mrw @ U of Dawgs. L8er. NOT how you e-mail an admissions office!
I m class prez, cap’n of v futball, & my GPA iz a 4.0. Not the way to complete your online resume—for admissions or for employment.
Here’s what I know–text speak can kill you in a job or college inquiry, in college application essays, on job and college applications, and just about anywhere that standard English is the expectation.
By the way, here’s another red flag. My e-mail address for my friends is not the same one I use for professional inquiries or responses. Superhound @ or chainsawclyde @ might seem humorous to your friends, but corporate types and geezer admissions folks won’t likely be impressed. In fact, it’s likely that not even the hip, young admissions folks will take kindly to bizarre, inappropriate or threatening e-mail names.
While we’re on e-mail, why not get a free account and use it just for formal e-mails–you know, employers, the military, colleges–maybe even your grandmother! One special note: while this is a great idea, (and, did I mention that you can get free accounts?), if you provide e-mail account information to people, it goes without saying that you need to check that account! Once again, this is the kind of thing that can have disaster written on it. You have multiple e-mail accounts. You use one solely for professional purposes. However, you fail to check that account regularly. Here’s another counselor story...my counselor tells a lot of stories. Barclay truly liked college X in a neighboring state. Barclay’s profile–grades, activities, accomplishments, essays, test scores, and recommendations seemed to tilt the application in the direction of acceptance. Barclay even had a special e-mail for colleges and employers. However, after not checking the account for two weeks, Barclay found out too late that test scores had not been received by the college. Barclay missed being admitted to a top choice school because the e-mail went unchecked.
Another pointer–enthusiasm at an interview is good. Over-the-top demanding interest is scary. When you meet with interviewers, don’t be too insistent–remember this isn’t a tussle and rustle show.
While you aren’t a corporate Wall Street type yet, you are about to launch yourself into the adult world. Consider netiquette, etiquette, appropriate dress and appropriate language–in person and in writing. And . . . while I live on the water, flip flops are definitely not formal wear.
Woof,
Clyde
