Why I Ignore Your Job Offer

If you haven’t already, register a username for yourself so you can discuss this topic in our Contractors, Oi! forum.

Every week, I get about five to ten unsolicited job proposals in email. These aren’t your typical spam email messages, where I’m promised a lucrative career in franchising, or where some strange fellow from Nigeria wants me to redesign his Blogger “website.”

These are real job offers from a legitimate employment resource. So I’d have to be off my rocker to turn down any kind of real, paying work — especially in this economy, right?

The problem is this.

I’m Not A Qualified Candidate

Just like with spam, these job offers are completely random. Whoever it is sending these things, they apparently don’t know any more about me than my email address because it’s about the only thing they got right. I get offers to script API’s, code CSS and java scripts for $8, write articles about whale blubber, or write an app for the Mac. While some of these offers are appreciated, I’m not a qualified candidate for any of them.

Nowhere on my resume or online bio have I ever laid claim to API expertise, knowledge about whales, or proficiency with the Mac. I can code CSS and java scripts, but I’m not sure what I’ve published online to give the impression I would ever code those things for a mere eight dollars.

As a serious outsourcer, you don’t want your proposal in the same place. It’s a complete waste of time and resources.

And when I get job proposals that demonstrate their senders haven’t bothered to learn more about me and what I’m capable of, I send them right to the trash bin.

You’re Not Streamlining Your Efforts

When trying to find as many job candidates as possible, approaching multiple service providers is somewhat understandable. However, as you can see from my rant above, it’s not a very productive approach. Instead of trying to find as many candidates as possible, you need to focus on trying to find as many qualified candidates as possible. Fortunately, it’s easy to do. Just follow these instructions and you’ll never waste your time, or mine, again.