What Does 'Unhirable' Look Like?

What Does 'Unhirable' Look Like?
We all know it’s illegal for hiring managers to discriminate against age, race, religion and sexual orientation. What’s NOT illegal is the ability to discriminate against you for being unemployed. A recent 60 Minutes episode highlights a non-profit program in Connecticut designed to help the long-term unemployed with a “Platform to Employment.” (Nice work, Joe Carbone!) What I like about this program is it deals first and foremost with the stigma of unemployment. I call it the ugly “U” word and have so for years. In fact, I won’t let my CareerHMO members call themselves “unemployed.” Instead, I make them refer to themselves as “between jobs” as a way to remind themselves their situation is temporary. Unless you’ve experienced what these folks have, you honestly can’t imagine the crisis of confidence that overpowers you when your most basic needs of survival are threatened. It paralyzes you with fear, and yet, you need confidence in order to get a job - how about that for irony! For me, this program is just further proof people who lose their jobs and can’t find work need some serious coaching in order to get themselves to place where they are employable. It’s not just about the resume or LinkedIn profile, it’s about developing a mindset that’s attractive to hiring managers... which is pretty tough to do when you are feeling isolated and alone. All that being said... Let’s face it, we’ve all met, or even know somebody who has been between jobs for some time and thought, “I can see why they are still out of work.” The sad truth is without realizing it, they are projecting a personal brand that screams, “I’m not a good hire.”

Tell us: What makes someone “unhirable” today?

I’d like to hear from our readers what you’ve seen out there. What are the unemployed doing wrong? Share in the comments below some of the worst things you’ve seen job seekers do. What do you feel is keeping them unemployed? Unhirable image from Shutterstock
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