Cover Letter Demands and Endless PTO Top the List of Turn-Offs for Job Seekers

If you're on the lookout for a super-enthusiastic candidate who can juggle multiple responsibilities like a rockstar, you might not be getting many responses.

According to new findings from Adobe Acrobat, common yet despised phrases in job descriptions may be scaring off potential candidates.

Adobe conducted a survey in May, gathering insights from 1,060 individuals, including 807 job hunters and 253 hiring authorities.

Participants revealed that phrases such as 'customer-obsessed' and 'wear many hats' are significant deterrents, each cited by 33% of respondents. Other disliked terms include 'rockstar,' 'fast-paced environment,' and surprisingly, 'family,' a term often used to describe a work culture akin to a family setting.

However, word choice is not the only concern.

A notable portion, approximately 10%, of those surveyed stated outright rejection of opportunities offering unlimited paid time off. Studies suggest that those with uncapped PTO often take less time off than colleagues with fixed vacation days.

More than half indicated they would overlook a job posting that didn't provide a salary range, a matter addressed by new regional pay disclosure laws.

Beyond job descriptions, the application process itself poses issues. One quarter said that requiring a cover letter was a dealbreaker, while nearly 20% would not apply if there wasn't a straightforward application method.

We are eager to hear more from you. Share your most significant annoyances with the job search and application journey by participating in our survey below: