Carol, a workamper for several years, recently accepted a management position at an RV park with her husband. This put her in the position of having to hire Workampers. She requested resumés. Was she surprised! Are you making any of these mistakes?

Your resumé is often the first contact an employer has with you. Like any first impression it is hard to change. Your resumé may be giving employers the wrong impression. These are a few of the things Carol found:

• No contact information. The applicant forgot to put a way to reach him or her.
• Errors or Illegible. Some resumés had been copied so many times they were not readable. Others had errors in spelling and grammar.
• Not following directions. Even though the ad specifically requested that resumés be emailed, some applicants tracked down the phone number and called or emailed to a different email address from what was in the ad.
• Reference check. When checking references on an applicant Carol might be getting a positive reference. Then she asked, “Would you hire this person back again?” Surprisingly many times the answer was, “No.”

What impression do these “errors” give an employer and how can you correct them?

1. Having no contact information tells the employer you rush and do not pay attention to details. Having a clear and easy way to reach you is obvious. Put that at the top of your resumé and in your cover letter. Don't rely on just an address; many employers don't have time to wait for you to receive a letter and reply. You should have a telephone or text message number. An email is convenient too. In your cover letter spell out the best way(s) to reach you. If your resumé is outstanding and there is no way to contact you, you can’t get the job. Include a cover letter if you fax or mail your resumé.

2. An illegible or error-filled resumé also tells an employer you rush and don’t pay attention to details. You don’t take the time to do things right, which could cost them money and customers. Resumés may lose quality when copied or printed. Make sure you are using a sharp, dark version if providing a physical copy. Have someone else read your resumé. Even people who have excellent grammar and spelling skills often overlook errors on their own work. Use your spell check but remember it will okay “there” when you mean “their.” A good trick for catching errors is to read your writing aloud.

3. Disregarding simple instructions shows the employer you may do things ‘your’ way in spite of instructions otherwise. Follow the employer’s directions even if you know a faster, better way. In Carol’s case she was too busy to field phone calls at the time and wanted to make call backs on her own schedule. Employers set up systems that work for them, and while most appreciate employee initiative, they have reasons for or are comfortable with how they do things. Save your suggestions for later in the season when you have had a chance to give their way a try and you know the employer better.

4. Hearing “I would not hire this person back” tells the employer you were lacking in some respect even if you could do the job. When Carol checked references she found that most all of the Workampers were hardworking, dependable, were knowledgeable, and had the skills to get the job done. However, the last question was the killer for many applicants. In spite of being able to do the job, often the attitude was lacking. Perhaps when the pay is low some Workampers feel like they don’t need to put in their best effort. Or perhaps the job isn’t suited to their personality. If you don’t like people, don’t apply to a position where you are in constant customer contact. Take each job seriously. Always ask an employer first if you can use him or her for a reference and if they will give you a good one. And, if your employer doesn’t ask you back, she may not be a good one to list as a reference.

Employers take their businesses very seriously. They want to hire the best person for the job. It is not only costly to find out you have hired the wrong person and have to start over, but an employee affects the bottom line every day. In customer contact positions employees who like people and talk to them increase sales and repeat business. An employee who is negative or unapproachable leaves the customer feeling slighted or even angry. In non-customer contact positions an employee who has to be reminded to do their job or sent too redo it is a burden. As Carol said, “... having the right crew makes or breaks the day.”

Workampers have many choices of jobs. Pick one that is a match for you. If an employer offers inadequate compensation in your opinion, look for a different position. Don’t accept a position and be miserable or not put forth your best effort.

Take another look at your resumé, your choice of jobs, and your performance. Could your first impression be improved?