Applying for Jobs {Part 1}

As part of being a Camp Director, I hire people. A lot of people. Like, 20-30 people {at least} each summer. Many, many applications cross my desk, and I can tell a lot of things from an interview. I can also tell a lot of things from the way you write your resume, the way you correspond with me, and the way you ask questions.


Keeping in mind that I am very forgiving {my staff is young, and these are not "high level positions"} of things, here are some of the top errors I've noticed. It might not prevent you from getting hired by me {depending}, but do this with long-term, higher level jobs and it will.


1. Not responding to e-mails/phone calls/etc: If I contact you about an interview, you should respond back within 24 hours. If you don't want the job anymore {this happens a lot} be adult enough to say so. If you can't return an e-mail or phone call within a timely manner, I'll wonder if you can do anything within a timely manner {like, you know, get to work}. And please, if your computer died, or a family member is sick contact me ASAP, apologize, and be realistic about your schedule for a make-up interview.


2. Responding too much: Enthusiasm is great {and appreciated!}. However, if we're playing phone tag, please do not call me 6 times in 30 minutes. Leave a message. I promise, I wouldn't have called you if I was going to fill the position in the next 2 hours, and I will call you back. So, chill. Also, if I say I will call YOU, please do not call me unless you're having some sort of issue. I sometimes spend hours interviewing people and have a tight schedule, so you calling for your interview is not super helpful.


3. Being unorganized and/or dishonest on your resume: Don't embellish or lie. Give concrete responsibilities, certifications and skills. If you have none of those, be enthusiastic about learning and tell me how you plan to do so. For many of my staff, this IS their first job, so eagerness to learn is essential. When I see a resume with a random service project from 5 years ago and nothing since, I say to myself, "trying too hard," and "not much to back it up." Also, if you're going to use an objective  on your resume {I really wouldn't}, be specific and tailor it to the specific job you're applying for. I do not run a religious camp, so an objective that says, "to work at a Christian/Jewish/Pastafarian camp and spread {insert name of gospel/good news/religious doctrine here}" will not be welcome. Unrelated activities are fine, but if your goal is to do something unrelated to the mission of our camp, you probably won't get a call back.


4. Not knowing what's on Facebook/the internet: I'm not one of those people that digs super deeply. To me, Facebook is like being out in public but not at work. If you drink outside of work, or host political rallies I disagree with, or party, I don't care. That's your private life. We all do things our bosses don't need to know about, and I absolutely would never, ever {EVER EVER} ask for you to login to your account or give me your password {totally unethical, IMO}. However, I get concerned if you haven't made your security settings tough enough and have awkward things {you naked, you passed out on a table from drinking, etc.} on Facebook, or if I Google you and find out you're lying about a job history. If I can see you bad-mouthing your current boss, that's a huge red-flag. So be on top of your security settings, and Google yourself to see what shows up.


This post might sound a bit judgmental, and really, I don't mean it that way. I'm aware that for many of my staff, this is their first job and that these are common mistakes. But, I do point these things out to them so that they can be successful in future job searches. Even if you want to work at a camp full-time, it is a competitive job market, and you'll only get so far making the above mistakes.


I'll be back with the second installment in a few days.


Anyone have pet peeves about hiring? Any pointers?