3 Ways To Get Blacklisted By An Employer

Posted by • April 10th, 2012 • 21 Comments

Want to know what to do to get on an employer’s bad side? There are countless things to screw up your chances of getting a job – more than that, you can even be blacklisted by an employer. As in, “do not hire, ever.” Employers may even recommend that other companies in the industry refrain from hiring you. If an employer blacklists you, you’re no longer on their list of consideration for any position.

Some things that can get you blacklisted are out of your control, but a lot aren’t. Here are three ways to get blacklisted by an employer:

1. Be unprofessional

This is a big one; there are many ways to be unprofessional, from your online presence to your in-person presence. If you use inappropriate language on your public social media feeds or show up for an interview in sweatpants or badmouth your previous boss to your potential new employer, beware – you could get blacklisted.

The solution: Simply, be professional. Dress nicely in a suit for an interview; clean up your online image or seriously reconsider your privacy settings; stay on work-appropriate topics both online and in-person; and most of all, treat your potential employers and everyone you meet at a company professionally, respectfully, and with maturity.

2. Be careless (attention to details, submitting, etc)

Being careless shows employers that you lack attention to detail or have an inability to follow instructions – two blacklist-worthy qualities in a candidate. Candidates who have spelling and grammar mistakes on their resumes or other application materials; don’t follow proper application instructions; miss deadlines, or are late to interviews are certainly careless, and an employer will notice.

The solution: Take your time! Proofread your application materials, and better yet, have someone else read them to check for mistakes. Check and double-check the instructions for application, or your deadline for applying for a job, or the time of your interview. Employers expect attention to detail; a careful candidate makes a careful employee.

3. Be dishonest                    

Dishonesty is means for blacklisting in every aspect of life, including your job search. Dishonesty can range from simple exaggerations to out-and-out lies. This is most commonly seen on application materials like resumes; candidates sometimes stretch the truth when it comes to their past experiences or education. Rest assured that eventually, your employer will find out – either before or after you’re hired. Dishonesty is a surefire way to get fired.

The solution: This one is simple – be honest. Don’t exaggerate. Don’t stretch the truth. Tell a potential employer only where you’ve worked, what you’ve done, and where you’ve studied; nothing more.

What to do if you’ve been blacklisted:

1. Reach out to the company and request an in-person conversation

2. Ask for constructive feedback about what went wrong and what could be done to correct the mistake

3. Be willing to accept the advice of the person who’s blacklisted you

4. Follow through

If all else fails, at least you’ve done your job and attempted to move past the problem. Remember: be polite and professional, and don’t burn your bridges.

What are some other ways to get blacklisted by an employer? Share with us below.

Heather R. Huhman is a Glassdoor career and workplace expert, experienced hiring manager, and founder & president of Come Recommended, a content marketing and digital PR consultancy for job search and human resources technologies. She is also the instructor of Find Me A Job: How To Score A Job Before Your Friends, author of Lies, Damned Lies & Internships (2011) and #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010), and writes career and recruiting advice for numerous outlets.

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  • http://www.dynamicrecruit.com/ Nahed Khairallah

    As a recruiter, I automatically black-list candidates who send me empty emails with their resumes attached! The way I see it, if you’re not willing to take the time to introduce yourself and your career goals, then I won’t waste my time on you.

  • dogsmack

    We had a guy leave a girl a note on her desk asking her to wear a specific pair of black high heeled shoes he liked. He probably thought he was being seductive, she definitely thought it was creepy as hell. The HR director agreed with the girl and fired the creeper. Blacklisted? Probably.

  • Cspeechley

    Nahed Khairallah, I feel that’s no reason to black list someone. Isn’t it the face value and skills that count’s when your introducing someone to a company?? I attach my Cover Letter and Resume to an email with saying, I would like to apply for the position of ……… please find enclosed my cover letter and resume. I feel your being judgemental without even seeing what this person can offer. 

  • JDelta

    Nahed Khairallah; On the other side of the fence, it’s not uncommon that I will spend up to an hour tailoring resume to the advertised position and writing a cover letter which addresses set criteria only to be unsuccessful and not even receive a generic notification.I have to contact them just to be told “other applicants were better suited to the position”. Unfortunately, job seekers don’t have the luxury of black listing recruiters.

  • coleel

    That “your” instead of “you’re” in your post would surely bring out my judgement. It really does matter to show that you are educated and are attentive to details.

  • http://www.dynamicrecruit.com/ Nahed Khairallah

     JDelta,

    By sending a cover letter, then you are introducing yourself and doing exactly what you should to gain the attention of a recruiter or employer. But the specific ones I’m talking about are candidates that send me no cover letter and no email body…just a resume!

    That clearly shows that the job seeker is not really interested and simply tossing resumes around in hopes of getting a call at some point.

    In today’s job market, we receive hundreds of candidate applications for each position. For you as a job seeker, you need to put in the extra effort to get noticed because the employer is not going to remember you out of a hundred applications if you seem “generic”.

  • http://www.dynamicrecruit.com/ Nahed Khairallah

    You’re missing my point. When you send a cover letter then you are explaining to me what your career goals are and why you should be hired for a position.

    That aside, there’s really no point for me to wait for “face value” if a candidate cannot engage my interest with his/her cover letter & resume. Since I receive hundreds of applications for each position, it is my job to send my clients the best of the best. If you can’t give me a reason to call you and interview you, someone else amongst the hundreds of applications surely can.

    Unfortunately, it’s a numbers game these days due the high unemployment and relatively few opportunities. A lot of the candidates we get are highly qualified, but since the positions are few and far in between, we have to be extra thorough to make sure our client is satisfied.