Don’t mind me, I’m just texting

Reprinted courtesy of TheCareerNews.com
PHILADELPHIA, PA — Hey you! Yes, you with your iPod earbuds and your unlimited texting plan. If you’ve been on a dozen interviews in the past two months and still don’t have a job, the problem might be in the palm of your hand. It’s not just resumes that are catching hiring managers’ eyes but job candidates who don’t know when to give their gadgets a rest, displaying more interest in their electronics than their careers.

To be fair, for a younger generation, our tech-oriented culture makes it hard to know what’s appropriate and what isn’t. When you post your resume on a recruiting Web site, set up the interview online while downloading music and then use your cell phone to call and confirm your appointment, why is it so wrong to walk into the office waiting room playing a game on your portable device? Most employers will see it as a sign of disrespect and/or inability to give your job first priority during work hours.
All too often, interviewers are watching people answer a cell call or text message in an interview. “Don’t come to the interview with your iPod, your cell phone, your cup of coffee or anything else other than yourself and a portfolio with an extra copy of your resume and your list of references,” says Alison Doyle, a job-search expert. Studies have found that your nonverbal communication will have more than triple the impact of your actual words.
Article abridged from PhillyBurbs.com, and reprinted from TheCareerNews.com. Get the latest breaking News, Tips and Tools for your job search, Free!