What's Important? What's Career Suicide?
How do recruiters--also known as headhunters--view spelling errors? Political affiliations? Participation in local and national organizations? Personal presentation? No social media presence at all (which is still a common phenomenon among lawyers)?
The Polling Company and WomanTrend conducted the 2015 Recruiter Nation Survey to collect information about recruiter expectations in
Recruiting priorities for the year
Job hopping
Jobseeker's social media presence
12-month outlook on fierceness of competition in hiring
Making a lasting (positive!) impression in the interview
If you look at nothing else, take a look at the social media presence and interview sections of the graphic. As a career development and transition coaching for lawyers, I frequently discuss these topics with attorneys and law students. Notice the recruiters were keen on job seekers having a social media presence, but they want it to be a positive one! Spelling errors, drinking, drug use, and selfies don't impress them. But community commitment and good personal presentation do.
Also notice:
87% of recruiters surveyed said enthusiasm was important in the job interview
85% said industry knowledge
79% said conversation skills
66% said punctuality
63% said appearance
38% said handshake and greeting
While this survey results focused on the job interview, demonstrating genuine enthusiasm for the employer and its mission is critical at each stage of the job search process.