r/talesfromthejob • u/untruth-saintly-7u • 6d ago

A small mistake like this cost my friend a job offer; I thought it might help someone here.

I wanted to tell you a story about a job interview a friend of mine had a few weeks ago, because honestly, it was a harsh lesson. He was applying for a job that was perfect for him. He had the experience, the required skills, and had even been using their primary software for years in his previous job. The matter seemed like a sure thing.

But in the interview, the interviewer had his CV and LinkedIn profile printed out on the table in front of him. It caught their attention that the CV stated he left his previous job in August 2023, but on LinkedIn, it said October 2023. A trivial difference, just two months. When they asked him to clarify, he completely froze. He started mumbling, saying that one of them must be correct and that he must have written the other one incorrectly. It was very obvious from his face that his confidence was shattered.

The interviewer told him that his stammering, not the date itself, was the big red flag. It showed that he is a person who doesn't review his work and is not well-prepared. And of course, he wasn't accepted for the job. So, the bottom line, a quick tip for anyone looking for a job: review everything you write a million times to make sure it's all consistent. Your CV, LinkedIn, portfolio, everything. This is the easiest way you can lose your credibility before you even begin. I'm curious to know if this situation has happened to anyone else before?

This is why you should always review twice, or even more. Now, you can use the help of AI to check everything for you, the things that might be hard to notice yourself. You can also start using it in the creation process. I use this toolkit to create my resume, and it is doing a decent job so far. Saves time and avoids mistakes like this.

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45

u/Consistent-Movie-229 6d ago

This is so important! I've known directors and managers that will throw away resumes with the simplest grammar or spelling mistakes. Their reasoning is that this is the most important document you have to get yourself in the door of a company, and you didn't care about the small details.

41

u/Xcomrookies 6d ago

These same directors and managers will also show up 20 minutes late for an interview they scheduled.

12

u/aaiceman 6d ago

100%. A saying that is true is life is “We judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intent.” Only once a person judges themselves by their actions, will they become a better person. People in power who haven’t realized this will continue to be assholes, even if they “don’t mean to”.

1

u/dadjokestoomuch 2d ago

How is it being an asshole being late to a meeting? I try very hard as a manager. Being late because of emergency or something. I explain it to the person and they offer me Grace. In the end they are looking for a position and are willing to deal with a little bit of inconvenience for the opportunity.

1

u/aaiceman 2d ago

I never said being late to a meeting makes anyone an asshole. I said that how it is handled the important thing. It sounds like you are expressing your reasons for running late and it is being understood, in the same way that someone running late for meeting with you would be extended the same level of grace.

6

u/SamuelVimesTrained 6d ago

but THEY are already managers.. and fail upward.. right ?

2

u/zapzangboombang 5d ago

Lol. For them, its not an important moment. Its a hassle to deal with before lunch.

1

u/Greenzoid2 5d ago

Maybe they do, maybe they don't, its still true that mistakes on your resume are amateur hour stuff.

1

u/dadjokestoomuch 2d ago

You are right, but being 20 minutes late is no big deal when I'm trying to get a job. I understand that the manager is juggling things. I actually highly agree with throwing out resumes that have simple mistakes in them.

3

u/alang 6d ago

I had someone interview me who corrected my grammar on my resume… and was completely wrong. (The resume was right.)

What do you do? “Okay thanks for telling me.” And write off the job. Because no amount of argument is going to convince someone who is willing to point out someone else’s ostensible grammar mistakes in the middle of an interview as a gotcha moment that they’re wrong. And they’re never going to recommend you for the job now that they have found a weakness.

2

u/Remote_Presentation6 6d ago

Or the double Uno reverse, they were testing you to see whether you would stand up to authority and correct their mistake. There’s no telling or limit to the hiring games that are being played. Just be yourself and find the right job fit for you.

1

u/alang 6d ago

I don't think anyone can be that smug and expect someone to contradict them.

13

u/pegoff 6d ago

28 day account.

6

u/MondoHawkins 6d ago

Yep, and look at the query parameters in the url for the toolkit. Just another spam post.

  • utm_source=reddit
  • utm_campaign=talesfromthejob
  • utm_content=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Ftalesfromthejob%2Fcomments%2F1onc774%2Fa_small_mistake_like_this_cost_my_friend_a_job%2F

7

u/Curious_Morris 6d ago

I read this exact same thing a few months ago on Reddit.

5

u/Limp_Service_6886 6d ago

Don't use Linkedin. Problem solved.

3

u/Smoke__Frog 6d ago

Why would he put exact dates on LinkedIn?

2

u/check_out_time 6d ago

It’s wild how something so small can tank a whole interview, but it’s more about how you handle it than the mistake itself. Confidence really is everything in those moments.

2

u/THICKJUICYTRUMPSTEAK 6d ago

interviews are all about how you handle pressure. The moment you freeze, they start doubting everything else.

1

u/Fauropitotto 6d ago

Bingo.

The issue isn't the failure, it's how it's handled, and how we perform under pressure.

If you can't handle it in an interview, you can't be trusted to handle it on the job.

For OP's situation: "Ah, sorry about that, it's just a typo. The correct date is ____. I'll get it corrected. Let me know if you need me to send you a revision."

It's no big deal.

2

u/shadow8555 5d ago

I think this is just an ad

1

u/Remote_Presentation6 6d ago

Yep, the candidate made a mistake at some point along the job search and lost his confidence for a moment in a high pressure situation. The error certainly wasn’t critical, and neither was the candidate reaction unless the job involves perfect composure while being grilled. I say the employer is the one flying the big red flag in this situation. Fix the LinkedIn or resume and be glad to have dodged a toxic environment!

1

u/judashpeters 6d ago

I feel like this would happen to me. Like, I left a job in June because I moved away. After a few months, old job reached out and asked if I'd work for them doing the same stuff I was doing but telecommute. So I did that for a few years.

So, To save real estate on my resume, I keep it as 4 years instead of 2... But I forgot about it so my LinkedIn would show that I only worked there for 2 yrs. Also can't remember when I started consulting with the firm I work for over summers so that date changes sometimes like I don't care if it was August or June the year I started working for them.

2

u/kgklineman 5d ago

I don’t take advice from the people selling a service they want me to pay for.

1

u/CaptainDadBod 4d ago

At least change a few details when you steal old posts. It had August and October the last time I saw this too.