One of our most popular annual traditions is the “Don’t Do It” article where I outline real-life actions done by job seekers that served to sabotage their search for new employment. 2026 appears to be a particular wild year for behavior, as I have received so many examples from recruiters of “Don’t Do It” moments that I can’t wait until next year’s edition to share them.
This is all real-life feedback that I have heard, so I would hope that these items would carry even more weight than my usual tips. Yes, some of these examples are “out there,” but if someone else could do it, then it bears reminding to you “don’t do it!”
• Don’t Forget to Double Check Your Schedule – In this example, a candidate angrily withdrew their candidacy for an open position because the hiring manager did not show up for their video interview. The job seeker could not believe that a company could be so insensitive to waste a person’s time like that and would never want to work for them. Problem was that after the tirade, the recruiter then had a chance to go over the schedule details and found that the job seeker was incorrect and logged on at the right time, but on the wrong date! They mistakenly misread the e-mail appointment invite that went out…whoops! Always double/triple check the invite and your schedule and never go off on the recruiter (even if you are right!).
• Don’t Overshare – We may have personal reasons for wanting a particular job or a specific schedule. Please bear in mind, however, that if asked the reasoning, the recruiter should paint you in a positive light to the hiring manager. I recently had shared with me that a candidate very specifically wanted to work 3pm-7pm during the week, which was not the schedule that the position was designed to work. The candidate was well qualified otherwise, so the person was pressed on why they needed that schedule. It turns out that it had been hot out and electricity rates are higher during that time, so the person did not want to be at home during that time. They preferred to be at an air-conditioned employer enjoying the cooler temperatures. Appreciate the honesty, but that should not be the answer that you share with the hiring decision-maker.
• Don’t Rely on AI…Always Proofread – AI is a great tool for everyone to assist them in a variety of ways, including helping us write something like a resume. A key, however, is to ALWAYS read whatever is written or auto corrected BEFORE you send it out. A perfect example is a resume that a recruiter was telling me about, all looked good until they reached the education portion of the document. It was in this section that they noticed the error…the individual had a “Bachelorette” degree rather than a “Bachelors.” I would have to assume that there was AI involved in that mistake, or perhaps the person is planning a wedding. Either way, typos are still a big “No” in a resume and something that can’t be missed.
• Don’t Forget to Keep Your Resume Readable – Recruiters and hiring managers don’t buy into the popular job seeker resume mindset that more is better. I was recently alerted of a candidate for a mid-level professional job that submitted a full six-page resume. They basically outlined everything that they were ever asked to do in every job they ever have worked. This does not work on many levels, but primarily because no one has the time to read that long of a resume. A recruiter does not even want to submit a resume that is that long to the hiring manager. Keep your resume to 1-2 pages (3 perhaps for technical and senior leadership roles).
• Don’t be Self-Centered, Less “I” and More “We” – Humility is a key character trait that most companies highly value. While it is important that you sell yourself during an e-mail, the entire interview can’t be you communicating how great you are and how you were the superstar of everything. I was recently in an interview where I started to physically count how many times the candidate said “I.” You probably guessed that the candidate was regretted and someone who was much more team based was hired. Remember the “we” in team projects and if you are a leader…how important your direct reports were in your success.
I hope that you are not doing anything on this list, but if you are… “don’t do it!”
So, there you have it, another edition of “don’t do it” has been completed. Please go on our website of www.wnyjobs.com to look up the entire series that goes back many years. As long as job seekers are doing things they shouldn’t be, we will keep documenting them in our annual list.
As always, best of luck in your job search.
The following has been prepared for the general information of WNYJobs readers. It is not meant to provide advice with respect to any specific legal or policy matter and should not be acted upon without verification by the reader.
Joe Stein
WNY Human Resources Professional
Feel free to contact Joe Stein regarding questions or comments at:
Joe Stein
