13 job applicant mistakes thatll turn an employer right off - Debut

13 job applicant mistakes thatll turn an employer right off - Debut Its a hard life out there for graduates. Uni  doesnt really teach you how to truly prepare for the big, bad world of work, so youre constantly having to guess your way through applications. Still, its important to take the initiative and  prepare for every eventuality. As someone whos both been through the grueling job application process AND been on the other side of filtering through CVs and job interviews, Ive seen a  ton of crazy stuff. Here are the worst job applicant mistakes Ive seen, so you dont make the same ones yourself. 1. Sending in an unreadable  CV Top tip: if you use a special font its likely your employers wont have it, making your polished CV look a bit crap. If you have a swishy, designed CV, its always best to send in a PDF document to avoid unwanted formatting changes. Ensure your documents can be opened on multiple devices if the type is too small a recruiter cant read it on their phones. A really special step would be to email ahead and ask what their preferred CV format is. Who knows? It might even be doughnuts.   2. Not personalizing the  cover letter Your brilliantly written cover letter aint gonna fly when youre addressing your potential ladyboss a letter headed with Dear Sir. Beyond that, make sure your cover letter is truly tailored to the position youre applying for. If its a freelance gig, dont write about how youre looking for permanent employment. Thats irrelevant, and it makes you seem like you wont take the gig youre applying for seriously because youll be looking for something else. Again, you could email or ring ahead to find out who you should be addressing. In this case, LinkedIn stalking is perfectly acceptable your application will be read by a human being, after all. Make sure you have a good think about how your interviewer will react to you. 3. Ghosting your future employer I run the Debut Student Publisher Network, and Im not trying to throw shade, but it doesnt look great when a potential future employee completely ghosts you. If your company is running something like a campus ambassador programme, a student writer programme or an internship, always,  always  treat it like a  pathway to a permanent position. Ive had people sign up to be part of programmes and then disappear from sight for weeks. It looks flaky, it looks like you couldnt give a damn, and it doesnt endear you to the company. The worst part? When they email you asking for a reference completely out of the blue. I mean, seriously? 4. Having terrible email etiquette Its the 21st century, so being too stuffy and formal probably isnt necessary. But misspelling names, having bad grammar, and using colloquial language will make you look unprofessional. Employers will think, If thats how this candidate emails us, their potential employer, how are they going to communicate with clients and stakeholders? Never give them a chance to doubt youll be kick-ass and polite at your job. 5. Being late for a job interview Yo, we know s*** happens. The Tube is notorious for signalling failures after all, whatever that means. However, its important that if the worst does happen you contact them as soon as you know youll be late, and apologise profusely when you finally arrive. Also important: dont let it happen again. If youre late to a follow-up interview thats usually K.O. to any job prospects you potentially had with the company. 6. Saying your dream job is working for a competitor company An ex-colleague once told me a candidate came in to my old job for an interview for a staff writer position. When asked what the candidates dream job would be, they answered, Oh, to work for Buzzfeed. Well thats awkward, considering we were Buzzfeeds direct competitor. You have to present your best self during job interviews. If a candidate appears to be using this position as a stepping stone, why would a company choose to hire them over someone else?  Somebody call the logic police, ASAP. 7. Showing up looking disheveled or worse, hungover Do we even need to elaborate? Just dont do it. And iron your shirts, please. 8. Not doing any research on the  position Treat us like sharks in the water (OK, most interviewers are friendlier than that, but run with our analogy plz). Employers can smell any whiff of unpreparedness. Before your interview, lay out the job description and scribble notes all over it. How can you fulfill the requirements? Are there any doubts you think theyll have? How are you going to  assuage your interviewers doubts? Think like your interviewer and have some answers prepared. You dont want to be caught out by anything, or appear like youre blagging it. 9. Appearing impersonal and  disengaged Its all about body language, baby. Hunched shoulders, a soft voice and folded arms dont usually give off the best impression. Make sure you work on that posture, make eye contact, and ensure you convince your interviewers youre the animated, dynamic person they want to hire. 10.  Not cleaning up your controversial social media feed   For the love of all that is holy give your Twitter account an audit. Trust us, freshers photos of a candidate at an anything but clothes party is impossible to unsee. In fact, you should probably give your personal brand a bit of a makeover. For your complete guide to doing so, have a look at our ultimate guide to creating a personal brand. 11. Being a little bit too friendly Establishing that you have good bantz with your interviewer is a great, rare thing, so absolute kudos to you if you manage it. It is however, really easy to cross the invisible line. Try to keep swearing to an absolute minimum, if any swearing at all. Dont go for the fist bumps unless they prompt it. Its all about maintaining that professional distance for the first few meetings, if you get the job the banter will come, promise. 12. When youre disrespectful to other members of staff Heres a story: someone came in for a job interview at my old job. He was wearing a fancy suit, a nice watch, and looked  hella professional.  He took one look at me, and said Darling, could you be a dear and make me a cup of coffee before my interview? Chop chop. Next thing you know he was sitting in said job interview with my boss and I while he stammered through why he would be a great addition to our sales team. Needless to say, he didnt make the cut. 13. Not following up post job interview I wouldnt say this is a dealbreaker. A lot of candidates get job offers without following up, sure. However, why take your chances? A polite, non-pushy follow-up email could take your chances of being remembered from 0 to 100. Give it a shot. You never know what could happen. Feature Image ©  Prospect Download the Debut app and you could totally grab yourself a summer internship  way before anyone else. Follow Brenda on Twitter @brendaisarebel Connect with Debut on Facebook and Twitter