Accepted.com: What is a real turn-off in an application or in applicant behavior? RG (Rod Garcia): Turn-off in applications: People recycling essays from other schools, especially when they haven't proofed their essays and you see other schools’ names. It's just laziness. Also, a lot of people don’t know how to write letters—no date, no address, no closing. They don’t know how to use a professional format. Career development folks say such details still count.
Turn-off in behavior: Some applicants are very rude on the phone or they’re discourteous to secretaries or receptionists. That is unacceptable behavior. They don’t seem to be aware.