Job seekers often make mistakes that keep them from finding the right opportunity, or worse yet, prevent them from ever starting their new career. If you’re looking to land your dream job, here are 9 common mistakes you need to avoid to have any chance of success. Keep in mind that each mistake comes with an explanation and a tip on how to avoid making the same error again. Hopefully, you can learn from other people’s mistakes as well as your own!
1) Not Finding Out What Recruiters Want
One of the most common mistakes job seekers make is taking their search into their own hands. They think they know what recruiters want, but they don’t. In fact, job seekers who do get an interview with a company often realize that what they thought recruiters wanted was entirely different from what those same recruiters are actually looking for. That’s why it’s important to do some research about what recruiters look for and how you can match up with that ideal candidate. There are no dumb questions – as long as you ask them before you go in to your next job interview!
2) Sending Unprofessional Applications
Another common mistake people make when applying for jobs is to send out unprofessional applications. Don’t use Comic Sans. Don’t attach your resume in Word or PDF format—use either plain text or Microsoft Word document format (.doc). Do not include any typos or misspellings; in an age of spell check, it shows a lack of care. If you have applied with another company recently, don’t highlight that fact. All these things are unacceptable and may disqualify you from being considered as even an interview candidate before your application is ever read.
3) Failing to Follow Up
Reaching out to recruiters is good, but often times it’s not enough. It’s common to hear stories about applicants who get passed over because they failed to follow up with recruiters and keep them in-the-loop on their search. This lack of communication leaves recruiters guessing and speculating as to your level of interest and commitment, ultimately making it easier for another applicant to steal away an opportunity. To ensure you don’t miss out on a job opportunity, always remember follow up!
4) Not Using Keywords in Applications
Don’t make it easy for recruiters to ignore your application by not including keywords. Recruiters have very specific jobs they need to fill and they’re probably pretty busy, so they’ll get through applications as quickly as possible in order to clear their desk space and start filling other positions. Keep your resume focused on keywords used by recruiters or you risk getting skipped over entirely. If you aren’t sure what those keywords are, then ask other professionals in your field; lots of people will be happy to help out a fellow professional who is genuinely interested in figuring out how to improve their chances at landing work.
5) Not Following Directions or Instructions Correctly
This is especially important when completing an application or resume. If you want to succeed in your job search, it’s vital that you read directions carefully and follow them exactly as they are written. One small mistake in grammar, formatting or just filling out information completely can make all of your efforts worthless and cost you future consideration. It can also cost you time, money and heartache!
6) Failing To Research Companies
It’s important to spend some time familiarizing yourself with a company before you apply. How long have they been in business? What is their reputation like? This is especially true if it’s your first job or you’re changing careers. Applying to new jobs blindly may seem like an efficient use of your time, but remember that not all companies are right for you, and even when there might be mutual interest, it doesn’t mean you can or should take that job. A quick online search can go a long way towards preventing unfortunate surprises later on.
7) Gossiping About Previous Employers
No one wants to work with someone who only tells their side of every story, especially when they’re bad-mouthing former employers. A future employer doesn’t need to know about your lousy ex-boss—but it does want to know what you learned from that experience and how you can help its company be better. If you have any complaints about former workplaces, make sure your prospective employer hears them directly from you. And if it comes up in an interview, give yourself ample time to explain both sides of an issue without going into too much detail or using industry jargon.
8) Treating Your Job Search Like A Part-Time Hobby
If you’re looking for your first job, then your immediate instinct might be to throw yourself into it with everything you’ve got. I know that was certainly my approach! Unfortunately, though, there is no substitute for experience when it comes to getting hired – if an employer sees even one red flag on your resume, they won’t bother moving on to an interview. After all, they have a large pile of applications on their desk and each day they need to fill several new positions. To get through their stack quickly, they’ll prioritize people who appear more polished. Therefore, one of your goals should be polishing up your resume. Start by proofreading it carefully and asking friends or family members to look over it as well.
9) Having An Online Presence That Limits Your Hiring Opportunities
Having little to no online presence makes it hard for employers to identify you as an applicant. If you’re currently looking, create an online presence (like LinkedIn) that allows recruiters and hiring managers to find your profile easily. This will make it much easier to find out about job opportunities, especially those you might not know about otherwise. It’s true that many companies do use their own databases when screening applicants, but by showing up on general social media sites like LinkedIn or even Facebook, you can take advantage of those sources as well. If your desired employer can’t track down your information via Google or through search engines like Bing and Yahoo!, how much time will they spend digging into other means? Answer: Not much.
Conclusion
As you’re no doubt aware, it takes lots of hard work to find and land your dream job. What you may not know is that your networking skills are often just as important as—if not more important than—your ability to do the job. If done correctly, networking can dramatically increase your chances of finding employment—and lead to more job offers. But in order to succeed, you need to be intentional with each step; in other words, stop thinking like a job seeker and start thinking like an entrepreneur.