It’s no secret that the job search can be hard to navigate. There is so much to think about, particularly if you’re conducting your search whilst still in your current role.
But if you’re not vigilant and proactive, you could be sabotaging your job search with unfortunate errors and all too common mistakes.
This applies no matter what stage you’re at in your career. Even the most senior professionals can trip themselves up with these common blunders.
Some of these bad habits can be subtle, while others are more obvious, but either way, they can be just as damaging to the future of your career.
Thankfully, if you’re able to recognize these mistakes early on, you can rectify them before it’s too late.
That is why we’re going to share five critical mistakes that you could be making right now and how to avoid them.
1. Using a generic resume
It was recently revealed that the average job advert will receive as many as 118 applications and of those, 20% will make it through to the interview stage.
So, if you want to stand out and give yourself the best chance of beating the competition, you need an impressive resume that’s going to grab the recruiter’s attention.
This resume also needs to be carefully tailored to prove why you’re the best fit for the position.
This is exactly why a generic resume just won’t cut it. Yet far too many professionals will create a basic resume, upload it to a job site, or simply send it off each time they find a job they want to apply for.
This can make you look lazy, uninterested, and possibly even like you’re just applying for any and all jobs you see, going for quantity over quality. Whatever the case, it doesn’t look good and it certainly won’t increase your chances of securing an interview in an already competitive job market.
To combat this, you need to make sure that you’re reading the job description carefully, highlighting the top keywords and skills in your resume, and listing achievements that are relevant to the role.
2. Forgetting to show your impact
Following on from the above, far too many professionals will use their resume to simply list their past job titles and key responsibilities, without showing their impact.
Sure, the recruiter might want to know a bit about what you used to do in your last role, but they also want to know how you genuinely contributed to the business. What did you do to help drive the company forward and how can you apply those same techniques in this new role?
With that in mind, you need to make sure that your resume always shows your impact in some way. So as well as showcasing your biggest career achievements, it’s a good idea to include facts and figures to show how you made a difference.
3. Not expanding the search
Nowadays, job boards are one of the easiest ways to access job postings and begin looking for your next role. You can even have alerts sent directly to your phone or email when a relevant job is posted.
However, too many professionals will simply sign up on job boards and wait for the jobs to roll in, occasionally checking to see if anything new has been posted. This can be very limiting and can make the job search far longer.
Instead, you should expand your search, and networking sites like LinkedIn are a good place to start. You could also attend career or industry events, or reach out to connections you’ve made over the years to see if they know of any opportunities that you’re a good match for.
4. Failing to follow up on leads
No matter whether it’s a job board, LinkedIn, an industry event, or one of your connections, if you apply to an active job lead, that is not the end of the road.
In a competitive market where most job openings are likely to receive multiple applications, you can’t rest on your laurels. You should always follow up on applications or leads about a week or so later to show your continued interest.
This can also help you to stand out from other applicants who choose not to follow up.
5. Not preparing thoroughly for job interviews
The application phase is not the end of the line either and just because you’ve secured an interview or two, you’re not in the clear.
You’ve probably heard that old saying, ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ and that is so true for job interviews.
Sure, you might be a seasoned professional who has attended multiple interviews in your career, but you can’t just assume you’ll be great on the day. You still need to prepare thoroughly before every interview you attend, making sure to prepare answers and questions that are tailored to the specific company and job role.
Ultimately, while you might not think you’re sabotaging your job search, even the simplest errors can have a big impact. If you can avoid these five critical mistakes, you will increase your chances of finding your next exciting role, quicker.
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