Dos & Don’ts

Dress appropriately

→ You don’t need to wear a dress shirt and tie, but a pair of khakis and a collared shirt or blouse would be ideal.

→ Be well-groomed and smell good.

Have a generic application with you.

→ Most people don’t remember the contact information for their schools, past jobs, and references. If you have a completed generic application, you can copy the information to the company application.

Have clean, crisp copies of your resume.

→ It shows professionalism to submit a copy of your resume with the application.

Have blue or black pens with you.

→ Having your own pen shows that you are prepared. You shouldn’t have to ask for a pen.

→ Be sure the pen works.

Smile, be courteous & speak clearly to EVERYONE you interact with.

→ The people that you speak with and that observe you when you visit the business may have an influence on the hiring process.

→ You only get one first impression. Cutting in front of paying customers, throwing garbage on the ground, or appearing grumpy, doesn’t leave a good first impression.

Follow the application instructions

→ Employers want to know that you are able to follow instructions and pay attention to details.

Write neatly and check for errors before turning in the application

→ Check for spelling and grammar errors.

→ If you make an error and don’t have another copy of the application, cross out the mistake with a single line (example).

Don’t leave blank spaces.

→ If something doesn’t apply, fill in the space with “N/A” (not applicable).

Be honest

→ Don’t stretch the truth or misrepresent what you know how to do.

References

→ Be sure to ask permission before listing someone as a reference.

Don’t submit an incomplete application

→ If you don’t have the information necessary to submit a complete application, take it home and return it later.

Don’t have someone else complete the application for you

→ An employer wants to know that you are able to complete an application. If you can’t do that, why would they want to hire you?

→ It’s ok to get help, but that is different than having someone do it for you.

Don’t turn in a messy application

→ Make sure that there aren’t food stains, watermarks, or scribbled-out information on your application.

→ Make sure the application isn’t wrinkled, crumpled, or torn.

→ Make sure you use the same color ink on the entire application.

Don’t mumble

→ Speak clearly and at a volume that people can hear you.

→ Don’t use slang.

Don’t have a bad attitude

→ If you are in a bad mood, take a few moments to adjust your attitude before walking in the door.

→ If you seem rude, grumpy or like you have a bad attitude, no one is going to want to hire you.

Don’t put your social security number on paper applications

→ When completing PAPER applications, DON’T put your social security number on the application. Instead, write (available upon hire). This is to protect you from identity theft.

→ If you are completing an online application on a secure site, it is ok to include your social security number.