5 Common Job Hunt Mistakes To Avoid
You see a job you’re very interested in, send in your resume, never hear back, then repeat the entire fruitless process with another job. Or maybe you make it to the interview stage, think you nailed it, but never hear from the hiring manager again. Sound familiar?
Chances are, you are making one or more of the most common mistakes fellow job seekers make again and again during their job hunt.
Luckily, by knowing which mistakes to avoid, you can better position yourself as a strong candidate for the jobs you’re truly interested in and break out of the demoralising application cycle. Here are five common job hunting mistakes to avoid:
Sending an Outdated or Generic Resume
Your resume should be up-to-date, concise, and targeted to the jobs you’re applying for. An old resume makes it appear as though you have no recently acquired skills or qualifications, while a generic resume doesn’t make a strong enough connection between your specific job experience and the job you’re applying for.
Your resume is the encapsulation of years of study and work experience, and it needs to be in stellar shape before you ever begin applying to jobs. Ideally, you will hire a professional resume company to craft your resume. Your professionally prepared resume will clearly position you as the best candidate while also incorporating keywords from your target jobs in order to get past keyword scanning software.
Continuing to Send Out a Resume That Doesn’t Get Results
Albert Einstein famously defined “insanity” as “doing the same thing over and over and expecting to get different results.” A well-crafted resume will get you called in for interviews quickly and often. If you’ve sent out your resume dozens of times without a bite, you need to take a step back and stop sending it out until you have it looked over and rewritten by a professional.
Showing Up Unprepared to Interviews
If you don’t prepare for your interviews and instead decide to wing it, chances are you will choke and not be able to think of the best answers or ramble awkwardly.
Preparing for your interviews and practising how you will answer likely interview questions (check out our previous post on the most common interview questions) will ensure that your answers are clear, coherent, and make the best possible impression. Our interview coaching services can help you quickly gain interview confidence so that interviews are no longer something to dread.
Forgetting to Network
When seeking a job, it’s a good idea to take a multi-prong approach. In addition to applying for jobs online, it’s always a great idea to actively network as well. Reaching out to previous colleagues and friends to let them know what you are looking for can yield the best results. In addition, you never know who you may meet at a networking event or through an online site like LinkedIn.
With up to 80% of jobs being filled by the hidden job market, networking helps you uncover job openings that haven’t even been advertised yet.
Not Showing Attention to Detail
No matter what industry or position you are applying for, attention to detail is always an appealing and often necessary trait in the office.
One way hiring managers determine if you show the necessary attention to detail is by looking at how you approach the job search process:
- Did you overlook glaring typos in your cover letter?
- Did you get the time wrong for your interview?
- Forget the receptionist’s name?
Missing these small details shows hiring managers and recruiters that you may be similarly sloppy and prone to missed detail in your work. Putting extra thought into the little things, on the other hand, will usually impress the right people.
When you are ready for your professionally crafted resume and cover letter, as well as all the job search and interview coaching you need, get in touch.
