It’s so important to make a good first impression when making contact with an employer or meeting with the person interviewing you for the position you applied for. Here’s an article I came across this morning in the career section of Canoe Online…

A few minutes into an interview with a promising advertising sales representative, the candidate’s cellphone rang.

Instead of being embarrassed that he forgot to shut it off, he asked the recruiter, Debra Wheatman, “Do you mind if I grab this for one quick sec?”

Of course she minded.

That he answered the phone spoke volumes about him. His résumé went straight into the trash. It didn’t matter how qualified he was; Wheatman wasn’t hiring someone who valued a cellphone call over a job opportunity.

“I was flabbergasted,” she says. Wheatman was an in-house recruiter at Condé Nast when this awkward incident occurred. She is now a career counselor for the job Web site Vault.com.

Answering your phone during a job interview is obviously inappropriate. But there are many much more subtle mistakes job seekers make on their résumés and during interviews. With so much competition for jobs, don’t let one of these faux pas hurt your chances.

Your résumé is your first chance to make a positive impression. Make sure there aren’t any typos, grammatical errors or spelling mistakes in it. You must do more than just spell check it. Print it out. It’s easier to detect errors on paper than after your eyes glaze over from staring at a computer screen. Also, have a friend or mentor proofread it.

One version of your résumé won’t be right for all the jobs you apply for. It’s better to tailor it to a handful of openings that directly relate to your experience rather than to write one and spam dozens of hiring managers with it. Also, use the keywords that appear in the job ad to describe your skills.

“The biggest mistake people make on a résumé is they think everything they’ve ever done needs to be in there,” says Rich Thompson, vice president of training and development for the staffing firm Adecco Group North America. “The résumé is the bait to get you the interview.”

Managers are more likely to take that bait if you describe your accomplishments instead of listing your daily responsibilities. This will set you apart from the competition. Quantify those accomplishments when possible. Describe what you made, saved and achieved for the firm.

Once you get the interview, dress professionally. Men should wear a suit and tie and women a nice top with either slacks or a skirt. It doesn’t matter if the company’s typical attire is business casual. “You’re there to make an impression,” Debra Wheatman says.

Nothing frustrates recruiters more than when a candidate doesn’t know enough about their company. Before the interview, learn all you can about the company’s products, services and competition. Check out the press room on the firm’s Web site to see what the latest news is.

All this information will come in handy when the hiring manager asks why you want the job. That’s the perfect opportunity to explain how you’ll be an ideal fit for the position.

Joan McGrail, human resources manager at the footwear company New Balance, sees many avoidable mistakes when she conducts interviews. Among the most common: asking about vacation policy before you’ve landed the job, long answers that never really address the question, trying to dominate the interview and failing to show respect for all interviewers and company personnel, like the receptionist and security person.

Continue reading the entire article.

Be sure to leave us your thoughts or experiences in the comment box provided below. We’d love to her from you.