Job search can be stressful, especially if you find yourself having to search for a job unexpectedly as a result of a layoff or other event outside your control. Stress does not give a person a right to be rude, however, and being rude in your job search can kill opportunities.
Take Jill for example. Jill had lost her job as a Director of Marketing as a result of a merger. She had been looking for a new job for about two months. She sent an inquiry directly to a VP of Sales and Marketing to which she had been referred by a networking contact. Rather than the VP replying, the VPs executive assistant replied to her. Out of frustration, Jill snapped back a sarcastic reply to the assistant of I didn't contact YOU but rather your boss. If I had wanted a reply from her assistant, I would have said so.
What Jill didn't realize was that the assistant was the VPs right hand man and was handling everything on the VP's plate while the VP was in Asia on an extended business trip. Jill's sarcastic, condescending reply offended the assistant who immediately decided that Jill had a caustic personality that would not fit in their team. The assistant made a note of it on Jill's resume so he would be sure to relate her attitude to the VP when he returned which he did. Jill did not get an interview, much less a job offer.
You should never be mean, sarcastic or hateful to ANYONE in the process of job searching. Gatekeepers are frustrating but they do report their impressions to decision-makers and those impressions can kill your candidacy if they are not good.
A friend of mine is a school teacher. She said her mentor teacher in college gave her some of the best advice she had ever received and she has found it to be true. Her mentor teacher said, Whenever you start your new job or any new job, there are two people who you should always treat with respect - the secretary and the janitor. Without the help of either one of these people, you cannot accomplish anything.
Remember, honey attracts more flies than vinegar. Keep vinegar out of your job search.