In part II of a two-part series, we give you some more examples of candidates who've made silly mistakes in their job search. If you haven't read part I, click here.

The CEO-slash-secretary

Never get too desperate in your job hunt. It’s a mistake when candidates apply for roles that require only half their current experience, says Gary Lai, manager, financial services at Robert Walters

“I’ve seen someone apply for a role in charge of a small group of bankers. However, the candidate’s resume indicated that he had bigger regional responsibilities, in charge of over 100 people and primarily responsible for ‘assisting' to build the bank’s presence. This is an obvious mismatch of skill set and job title,” adds Lai.

The can’t-wait candidate

Due to the size and multinational nature of banks, it’s common for the recruitment process to be lengthy, particularly at the senior level.

Some candidates fail to see the real reason for delays and convince themselves of fictional reasons as to why things aren’t progressing for them. In a perfect world, each candidate would hear a decision within a few days of their interview, however, it’s much more likely that there will be a lot of internal discussion before sign off, so being patient is key,” says Richie Holliday, managing director of Morgan McKinley in Hong Kong.

The job hopper

Candidates with a history of moving roles every 12 to 18 months are not uncommon in Asia but in the current market, banks are looking for loyalty in their employees, according to James Carss, director, banking and financial services at Hudson.

“It’s acceptable to have one or two short moves on your CV but a pattern of it can be very off putting to a potential employer, especially if it has been money-motivated each time. Eventually this will catch up with you. One of the biggest reasons why banks won’t interview a candidate with a good skill set is the fear that they will be used as yet another stop gap,” says Carss.

The information hoarder

It’s important to lay all your cards on the table regarding offers from other banks (and counter offers from your current firm). Also be precise to the dollar on your exact income and expectation, advises Carss. “Failure to do these things causes issues and problems for both the recruiter and the bank who have to ‘fill in the blanks’, and it also doesn’t build trust. Interview processes often break down because of these reasons,” he says.

Andrea Williams, Hong Kong managing director, Ambition adds: “The worst thing is if a candidate assures you they have nothing else on the go, then you call them to make them an offer for a role and they turn around and say ‘but that’s not as good as the other offer I’ve already got’.”

The Gordon Gekko

Ric Nilson, senior consultant, Manpower Professional, recalls a meeting with an unscrupulous banker: “Her resume was faultless, as was her appearance and manners. Everything was looking good for a senior placement with a major Australian bank. I was almost counting the commission.”

During an interview, he asked her to expand on her attitude towards ethics in banking. “Her answer blew me away: ‘it's everyone for themselves and I’m making so much money for the bank that no one cares about ethics’. She was even perplexed by my negative reaction. I live in hope that she has learnt from this experience that good ethics are critical to banking.”