How Not To Get Hired on a Travel Job

Or any other job, for that matter

Many folks are looking for work these days, there is no denying that. One thing that surprises me time and again is how people go about trying to get a job. While this website is for people who want to work in a travel job, this information applies to pretty much any job.

Don't send an unsolicited email and Resumé to random people

On a regular basis I receive emails from folks who want a job. The emails are always poorly written and it takes only seconds to see the reason that the sender is still unemployed: Poor spelling, a terrible resumé and the fact that they send their info to someone like me hoping to get a job. Note to the unemployed: I don't hire people.

The problem? First off, I don't hire people so you just wasted your time there. The purpose of this website is to offer insight into the wide variety of jobs that require travel that are out there. If you want a job, follow the links on the left hand side to a job that you are interested in getting. There you'll find advice that may or may not help you get that particular job. That's it.
Don't just send off an email to some stranger who you've never met because if it's really bad he might just use you as an example to the rest of the world. And that's what I've done today.

Actual email in my inbox:

For starters, congratulations, you've finally built up the courage to go out there and contact someone about getting a job. You didn't put a subject in the subject line, but hey, I like surprises. Great work!

For future, don't forget your punctation and always remember to capitalize the first letter of every new sentence. Don't ask me why, it is just something that someone decided that we all do a long time ago. Some schools teach this in 3rd grade. Maybe you were sick that day.

From this email I can already see you must be very busy as you didn't have time to find out my name. It actually says my name on the bottom of every page that I write on this website. Therefore you get no points for attention to details. How can I ever really know who this email is intended for with only the word "hi"?

And why did you only write the word "hi"? That seems a bit informal for someone who wrote me this employment email, thus considers me a superior and should be a bit more respectful. Try "Hello", next time or "To whom this may concern".

Based on the email you sent did you want my response to be this:

Since I had a bit of time on my hands and was in the mood to laugh, I opened the attachment and here is what I found. I have changed the name, previous employers names, email and phone number and added some notes of my own.

So what kind of travel job are hoping to get with a résumé like this? A person who prints things on lamp shades used in the aerospace industry? The most important thing, I feel, in writing a resumé is making it obvious what you want to be doing. This resumé tells us nothing. No Objective, no skills, no education. It's just a list of employers and jobs. It means nothing. Please get professional resumé assistance. You will be very glad you did.

From this experiment I can say two things to people. First off, don't send me your resumé unless you want to pay me to review it and make it better. Price is dependent on how much work it needs and this one would cost enough for me to retire.

If any readers who would like resumé help before sending them off to prospective employers, do yourself a favor and go with a company that reviews and proofreads your resumé. Don't send it to me, I will post it online and make fun of it, as is evidenced by the preceding article.

I hope we can all take away something valuable from this little event.
Look into getting resumé assistance from a professional.

About the Author
Mike has been working and traveling abroad since 2005. Recent trips include 12 months in Australia, a month in China and another in Europe followed by a six week USA road trip. Mike isn't rich, just resourceful in finding work abroad. In additon to providing free information on working abroad, and travel photography for sale online, Mike is also available for speaking engagements on the benefits of world travel.

The world is too amazing not to share. Contact Mike