Interview Tips: 4 Surprising Things That Will Get You Blacklisted From Recruitment Process

Job search is never easy, making those endless calls, visiting offices, sending CV’s and even attending events for networking opportunities. With all these and other avenues in mind, there is still a lot to remember. The most important thing is to avoid mistakes that will cause you not to get the job.

Ensure that you are not ruining your chances of getting a job by avoiding these missteps that can get you blacklisted from a job.

Here are four things that can get you blacklisted from a recruitment process;

Applying for every position in a company
I know some of us are the culprits of this, applying every job advertised by your dream company such as Safaricom, EABL or KPMG, and the likes. Applying for every job opening in a company isn’t going to get you that job. You cannot be a jack of all trades, you need to be a master of one or two trades.

“When applying for a position keep your submissions to no more than three closely related positions”, says Muthoni Ndegwa, Recruitment manager at Corporate Staffing Services. Muthoni says that multiple submissions will not win with the recruitment team or even the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) which can lead to blacklisting. Recruiters can blacklist you as you are always applying for jobs that you don’t really qualify for.

Acting desperate
Desperate and arrogant attitude will not get you anywhere. Despite how desperate job search has reduced you, don’t become arrogant. Strive to strike a balance that portrays confidence and humility always.

“I have seen people try to fake confidence and it backfires on them, don’t practice everything you read on the internet”, cautions Muthoni. Some key phrases to steer clear off that ooze with desperation include; ‘will do anything required’ ‘will work long hours’ or extreme confidence that backfires like ‘I don’t need this job so much, you would be lucky to get me’ don’t be too desperate to please the recruiting manager that you end up being arrogant. This will get you blacklisted in that very organization or its affiliations.

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Masking important information
There is some information that you can hide from a recruiting manager and it will come to haunt you and even cost you your job. Don’t fail to inform your potential employer information that is significant and they might figure out later.

“Masking the true reason as to why you left your previous job can be a costly mistake”, warns Muthoni. Information as to why you left your previous employment or the number of people you were supervising at your former place or the salary you were earning are things that can get you blacklisted from a job as you will have betrayed the recruiting manager’s trust.

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Not having questions in an interview

Asking questions during an interview shows that you are serious about the position at hand and that you have prepared well by doing your homework and having thoughtful and intelligent questions to ask at the end of an interview.

“Sitting there answering questions and smiling won’t help make a good impression on the recruiting manager”, says Melody Mwendwa, Interview caching manager at Corporate Staffing Services. She adds that recruiting managers always expect that you’ll have questions to ask and if you don’t, they will assume you were unprepared and not serious.

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The above-listed things are sure to land you on the blacklist of a recruitment manager. Other things that are sure to land you in trouble include exaggerating your qualifications, focusing on the salary more than the job and following up too often on your application, more than once a week is bad. Adhere to this and you will be in the safe zone.

Have questions about interview etiquette? Talk to our interview coaching manager at esther@corporatestaffing.co.ke.