Mistakes suck. What to do next.

Job search tips
Written By Naomi Roth-Gaudette
 
 

There are so many articles out there that talk about mistakes job seekers should avoid in the hiring process. Everyone has a different suggestion: Don’t submit an out of date resume! If you are using a stock cover letter, make sure you change the name of the organization! Don’t misspell the recruiter or hiring manager’s name! 


I get a little tired of reading these articles because a lot of these mistakes are things that anyone might make. For example, about a month ago in this very newsletter, all of the recipients received an email that said <First Name> instead of people’s actual first names. I didn’t like making a public error. My team and I try to avoid oversights and inaccuracies. However, mistakes still happen. 

 

I can hear the protests: “Naomi, are you telling me not to edit or copy edit my cover letter?” Of course not. But in my experience there is a far greater number of people who are diligent about grammar, names, and editing than not. Be responsible and check your work, especially when it's a high-stakes project like a performance task. 

However, it’s always obvious from candidates’ application materials who has done their homework and who hasn’t. If you have done your homework but you forgot a semicolon, it’s okay. I promise. 

So in that spirit, here are my tips about what to do when you make a mistake with a recruiter:

1. Try not to beat yourself up. 

There are plenty of opportunities to impress recruiters in other ways. You can impress us on your LinkedIn profile, you can impress us with research of the job before informational calls, and you can impress us by answering with succinct and clear responses to our questions. One mistake is just one mistake. We look at the whole of your candidacy.

 
 

2. Don’t be in your head about it.

I’ve seen people obsess about a mistake they made and they can’t stop thinking or talking about it. You are more likely thinking about it way more than the other person at the other end of the mistake. 

You are probably going to misspell someone’s name in the hiring process if you haven’t already. When people write, “Dear Noami” I don’t even think twice and offer grace. I know we all are doing our best. Try to move on and . . .

3. Be proactive. 

Acknowledge the mistake. Apologize when appropriate and correct it if possible. 

We live in a culture that emphasizes learning from every single mistake. While that is true in many cases, I have also seen people who are expert copy editors make spelling mistakes on their resumes. If you are usually great at something and one time you fall short, allow yourself to dismiss it and don’t allow our culture of “you have to make this a learning moment” something that ruins your day. There are some mistakes we need to learn from and some we just need to let go.

4. Offer grace when others make mistakes.

While striving for excellence is great, when we don’t offer grace to others, we quickly lose touch with each other’s humanity. I am in this work to help organizations build movements and make needed societal change. I don’t want to lose sight of that goal or the fact that so many people are doing their best. 

Putting forth a transparent hiring process where we share questions in advance is also connected to giving grace. I want to empower candidates to be their best. When candidates are at their best, it helps organizations see the impact you are going to make if hired. 

 
 

5. Try to find the humor.

Sometimes laughing at your mistake is the best way to put it behind you. Next time you make a mistake, give it a try and let me know how it goes.

We are living in a culture that has so many demands on our attention. No matter how thorough, mistakes are bound to pop up sometimes. We all deserve a little more grace around making errors during the hiring process and in everyday life. 

 

Tell me: what mistakes have you made that you ended up spending way more time thinking about than you needed to?

I’ll be observing Juneteenth tomorrow so if you email me, I’ll reply after the holiday.

 
 
 

On to the jobs! Check out all of NRG’s searches here. Fifteen of those positions are remote.

Opportunities NRG is hiring for in education:

join the nrg talent network

If you aren’t currently a member of the NRG Talent Network, consider joining. The survey takes 3 minutes to complete and then we’ll send you job announcements when your criteria (salary, location, etc.) matches the position.

Follow NRG on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on all of the roles we are hiring for.

Let’s move,

Naomi

P.S.  If you want help with your job search, sign up right now for 15 minutes with Kristin Saybe to learn how NRG’s coaching programs can help you.

If you find this newsletter helpful, forward it to your friends and help us build our network! If you received this from a friend, sign up here to receive future “Get Hired'' newsletters. 

 
Naomi Roth-Gaudette
Previous

Why people don't apply
Next

70+ jobs from NRG and mission-driven orgs