Aussie recruiter issues a blunt warning to job seekers

A top recruiter explicitly warns job seekers about the things they’re doing wrong during job interviews that could prevent them from getting hired.

Tammie Christofis Ballis, 37, a recruiter and career coach at Realistic Careers, revealed some of the ways job applicants are reducing their chances of landing their dream job.

The veteran recruiter said it’s even more important for applicants to know where they’re going wrong as the job market has become increasingly competitive.

“When there is a financial crisis, there is a hiring freeze,” Ballis told Daily Mail Australia.

“And anyone who leaves is not replaced. We are seeing that now.”

According to Ms Ballis, the cost of living crisis is causing people to seek higher-paying jobs and second and third jobs to make ends meet, making the job market even tougher.

“The easier the job, the more applications there are,” she said.

‘Normally there are about 100 people looking for a job, but now there are already 500.’

The recruiter has given some insightful tips on what not to do if you want to land that dream job.

She has revealed how Australians can get their CVs to the top of the pile as the job market worsens. (Stock photo of Australians at a music festival)

Stop sending fancy resumes

According to Ms Ballis, applicants tend to think that the ‘nicer’ their CV is, the better it must be.

“No. You have to have a good Applicant Tracking System resume, which simply means it is compatible with systems used in recruiting,” she said.

‘There’s a big misconception on the internet: people think AI scans resumes and automatically rejects them. But that’s not true.’

The career coach said that a simple Word or PDF document would suffice because people will look at them. They should be “easy to read” and “simple.”

In addition, they must not contain any colors and must have a simple layout.

“Colours can hide the keywords we’re looking for (although) if you’re applying for a job in the creative industries, fine,” she said.

‘But in any other sector, no one is interested in your graphic skills.

‘Everyone has computer skills these days. It’s not the 90s.’

Ms Ballis also said recruiters should read from top to bottom, so avoid columns as this makes it harder to find information and employers ‘need to see what they are looking for’.

“People pay $500-600 for a resume and just don’t get hired,” she said.

“Applicants are paying people to write their resumes, while doing it as a sideline. They have no experience in recruitment or HR,” she said.

According to the career coach, a simple resume in Word or PDF is sufficient, because people look at it. The resume should be ‘easy to read’ and ‘simple’.

Ms Ballis (pictured) advises job seekers to use the phone instead of sending an email to get ‘to the top of the pile’

“They think that the nicer they make it, the more they can ask for it.”

The recruiter also said that these resumes are often longer and may not mention an applicant’s experience.until halfway down page two’.

“People don’t realize that it’s just a piece of paper that only gets you a foot in the door for a job interview. It’s not worth $500.”

How to get your resume ‘on top of the pile’

Ms Ballis said that given the current high volume of applicants, not all CVs could be viewed.

“Apply right away. As soon as they find someone, they’ll take the job off,” she said.

‘If there is a phone number on the job posting, call and ask if they received your resume.

‘If an applicant has the desired experience, a recruiter will schedule a telephone interview.

‘That’s how you get to the top of the pile. I know it’s old fashioned compared to emails and technology – but people don’t have time and emails can get lost.

‘A simple phone call can make a big difference. Yet most people are too afraid to call or think they shouldn’t.’

Australia’s youth unemployment rate remains at 9.6 percent, according to the latest June 2024 figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

How to Help Your Teen Enter the Job Market

Ms Ballis also warned teens – and their parents – that getting a job requires real work.

“Stop treating it like it’s soccer practice, it’s not. It’s a job,” she said.

The recruiter said that when a teenager gets a job, he or she cannot choose how many hours or days he or she works.

It is up to them to withdraw from the employer and the school, not the other way around.

The 37-year-old also sees that more and more parents are submitting a CV on behalf of their child, which is a ‘major warning signal’ for employers.

“If a parent walks into a store with their teenager, the child doesn’t talk, and the parent hands over the resume, don’t come back a week later and ask why your child didn’t come in for an interview,” she said.

“That boy is clearly not interested or ready to work.”

The recruiter also warns you never to bring your child to the interview, nor to be present while the interview is taking place.

The recruiter also warns against ever bringing your child to a job interview, after witnessing a young Australian woman bring her parents to a job interview at McDonald’s

“I was at a McDonald’s once and there was a nervous boy, about 15, being interviewed,” she said.

“It only lasted a few minutes, and then this woman sitting next to her asked, ‘Is that all? Is that all?’

“It was the mother and she was completely shocked.”

Ms Ballis said staff knew the mother was there and knew the girl was not suitable for the job.

“The mother had no self-awareness and was a domineering helicopter parent,” she said.

“The people who work at Macca’s are hardworking, persevering people. They’re not looking for children who need their parents.”

The 37-year-old says teenagers looking for a job should do it the “old fashioned way”: print out their resume and go to the company themselves to introduce themselves.

“You see it all the time on social media: ‘Does anyone have a job for my child?’ (But) they have to find it themselves,” she said.

Stop complaining on LinkedIn

Ms Ballis said she cannot believe people go to the professional networking site LinkedIn to “gain sympathy” by criticising recruiters.

“There seems to be a shift where people are comfortable complaining about recruiters and managers,” she said.

‘But we look at LinkedIn.

“They’re trying to boost egos to get validation from random people. But recruiters will see what you’ve posted,” Ms. Ballis warned.

Ms Ballis said she can’t believe people are taking to professional networking site LinkedIn to ‘gain sympathy’ by criticising recruiters (stock image)

‘LinkedIn used to be about sharing information and advice about jobs. Now it’s about bitching about everything and anything.

‘There is no problem solving – people just want views and clickbait. It’s just like social media.

“It’s so bad it’s funny.”

She urged job seekers to remember that when they are looking for work, a green banner that says “open for work” will appear on their LinkedIn profile. This banner is only visible to potential recruiters.