Tips for Craigslist Job Applicants

My friend Tom is a great, smart guy who hires for a small business (Priveco.com). Yesterday he got the first batch of replies from job applicants from his job posting on Craigslist.

He got a bunch of replies, some of which were inadequate.

Tom:
Elitist Rant. I am reviewing applicants for a warehouse job. We received about 300 replies to our ad on Craigslist.

His Notes and Tips:

1. No Resume = No Job. Seriously people, why bother emailing?
2. Someone's responsibilities included preparing the "Scdudle" at her last job.
3. Someone didn't have a resume but the email was "sent from my iPad"
4. There is such a thing as a "Custodial Maintenance Technology Certificate"
5. If your three prior jobs only lasted for 2 months each, leave them off the resume.
6. If your email address is "DaddyslilGirl27@..." and your resume is for Charles, I am officially creeped out.
7. I'm not a stickler for grammar when it comes to warehouse applicants, but you should probably capitalize your own name. (I've seen this countless times).
8. Employers rarely "Holla back".
9. We received a resume from someone who was voted "Most improved basketball player of 2000 from their elementary school". I don't think it was a joke.
10. Attached is the entire message from an applicant: "I love to work call john ill show u i wanna work..248-773-****"
11. So is this "hi, my name is jen.im inrested in the postion you have available.please, feel free to contact me 586-322-****"
12. Don't write to ask how to apply for the job when 300 other people have figured out that you send in a resume.
13. Just once I would like to see a former subway employee NOT refer to it as a "sandwich artist".
14. If your parents named you something strange, you can use the "resume is not a legal document" method and call yourself by a nickname or your middle name, or anything other than Cloud Princess.

That is all I can take today.

I agree with his hilarious tips. Taking time to construct and send a professionally organized and formatted resume and the accompanying email is time well spent. Maybe you won't get an interview, and that effort will be unrewarded, but you shouldn't even bother applying when your first impression can be summarized as "extends minimum effort".