Job Discussion Forums

[naturegirl321]

A pet peeve of mine is when they
1. Write in Spanish
2. Start and end with Hola and Adios.

Ok, first off, the Spanish they write in is horrible. Second, you're applying for an ENGLISH position, why write in Spanish? Third, if the ADVERT was in English, why write in Spanish?

Also, starting and ending with hola and adios just doesn't come off as professional, it makes me think that you want to come to Peru to learn Spanish or are trying to impress me with your Spanish skills, and it's not working.

And never ever ask about money if your first email"

[Mike_2007]

Do you really think it's such a big mistake to ask about the money?

I understand the theory; you would want your ideal applicant to be working purely for the pleasure and satisfaction of enhancing the company's reputation, for spiritual and professional gratification, for the good of the students, or whatever, and thus the applicant should try to demonstrate those qualities by pretendng the money doesn't interest him.

Personally, I would much prefer to get the salary issue out of the way early by either by having it stated in the initial job ad or by telling the applicant in the first salvo of e-mails. Ultimately it saves a lot of time and eliminates greedy applicants or those with unrealistic expectations.

Of course, it may seem a little crass to send an e-mail of the "alright, how much d'you pay?' type, but I personally think it's entirely reasonable for someone who may be moving between countries to work for you to know how much he can expect to be paid in order to calculate the financial viability of the move.

[fluffyhamster]

I have never bothered to apply for a job that didn't state the salary. It's too serious an omission to make in an advertisment - the salary is key, need-to-know information that should only need to be confirmed prior to signing, not almost fearfully asked about at (what would otherwise have to be) the earliest opportunity. Basically, if employers don't clearly state the salary up front, that's because they're likely ashamed of it!

[mozzar]

In the first application to a place asking about money is a big no-no to me. The first contact is to put yourself forward as a good candidate and show yourself in the best light. Once they've replied and acknowledged that you exist, ask more probing questions about the company.