Top 30 Most Common Job Search Mistakes You Can Avoid

When someone is looking for a job, they become so desperate to find one that they start committing some silly mistakes which only lengthen the process of search.

Sometimes when they look retrospective to see they are not getting any interview calls, then only they realize what blunder they have committed!

But it is never too late to rectify the fault provided they are ready to learn from their mistakes. Now if you are also one of those who is preparing yourself to get on with the job search, then there are some common job search mistakes that you must avoid.

These faults can be easily prevented so when you are getting ready for your job make sure that you avoid it and you will see that how easily you are getting calls for interviews. Ford R. Myers, who is the career coach says that you can get the job you want even when they are not hiring just by taking the right steps towards it.

Relying only on one resource for getting an interview call is not accepted. When there are so many avenues which can be used, then why would you just stick to one? 

30 Job Search Mistakes That Can Kill Your Opportunities:

There are several other job search mistakes that you can avoid easily and here we have mentioned some of them for your benefit –

1. Online job posting the only source:

If you have your resume posted in the online job portals, then allocate only 5% of the time towards online job posting.

When you are online you can go to the official website of the company and see for yourself whether they have any opening or not.

Public job postings are said to be a waste of time if you are relying only on them. You can make it a part of your job search but it cannot be the ultimate thing for you.

2. The Absence of professional email:

If you are using your personal email address, which spells your name as princess won’t impress the employers.

Instead, there are so many email hosts now that it will not be a difficult job to get an email address with your first name and the last name. They provide a professional look and are also not that descriptive either.

Therefore, make sure that you have a separate professional email address with your name in it and not some adjective or anything else added to it.

3. Plan your search:

When you are looking for a job, then make sure which field will be best suited for you. You have to decide first what kind of job you want and a few years down the line where do you want to see yourself in the profession.

When you are able to answer the question properly, you will see that the job search is automatically streamlined and you are now able to concentrate on finding the perfect job for you.

Moreover, your job search doesn’t end with getting an interview call because if you are not able to answer these three questions then you are again back to square one.

The three questions are –

1. Tell us something about yourself
2. Why do you want to join this industry?
3. What you will do next?

These are the questions that will be asked no matter where you go for the interview, so be well prepared.

4. Quantity does matter:

There are many who think it is best to concentrate on quality rather than quantity, but when you are searching for a job this phrase doesn’t hold true at all.

Quality is important, but that doesn’t mean you will restrict yourself within 4 or 5 contact attempts daily.

Instead why don’t you reach out to more and see whether you are receiving interview calls or not. The more you select the better the chances are of getting selected for an interview.

5. Looking for a direction:

If you have studied accountancy, then will the job of an engineer does any help to you? No, but that is the common mistake many job seekers commit.

They forget what they are looking for because after a few days of attempting, frustration creeps in and they start making this weird mistake.

If you are not sure where you want to go then nobody will be able to help you with direction. Therefore, channelize your energy in right direction.

6. Avoid emotional drain out: 

It might happen that even after knocking all doors you have failed to arrange an interview for yourself in the last one week. But don’t get disheartened by that, instead take a break or reward yourself in some way which will pep you up.

It is nothing unnatural and it happens with everybody that when you want something very badly it keeps on slipping away from your hand.

Once you land yourself a job, then you will see your inbox flooded with offers that you have been looking for so long. This is the common scenario that everybody has gone through and you are not alone here.

7. Never say never:

When you are looking for a job you must never utter a single negative word. Even when you are going through the searches you must not indulge in anything that will show your fears or focus on your doubts about yourself only.

In case you do so, then you are running your chances of an interview because these vibes are easily sensed and you might unknowingly put off the potential allies.

8. LinkedIn and its use:

Now is the age of social networking. When everything is done through social networking then you must make use of it to promote yourself and refer to specific organizations or the hiring managers.

LinkedIn can be easily used to generate your introductions and reach out to many possible opportunities out there.

9. Salary expectation not flexible:

When you are on the lookout for a job, then it is necessary that you become flexible about your salary expectation and also about the job responsibility.

You must not say that if you did not receive this responsibility or if you do not receive this much compensation, then you will not take up the job offer. Instead, you must always be ready to negotiate and accept whatever they are offering.

10. Not improving your skills:

In today’s time, you have to keep on upgrading your skills as per the requirement of the market.

If you have done certification in a particular field and there are several other certifications already out after that then you must take up the initiative to complete these certification courses so that you stay at par with the current skills.

11. Not worried about the look:

If by any chance your interview is slated to happen after lunch, then it is very necessary that you check yourself up in the mirror after you finish your lunch.

There have been incidents when the candidates sit for an interview with cheese pasted on their mustache and the candidate isn’t even aware of it.

Do you think you will get selected for an interview if you are so clumsy and present yourself in this way in an important interview date?

12. Unable to streamline the search:

When the job seekers are looking through various opportunities, then they must be clear in their mind about whether they are ready to shift to another location or not.

More often than not you will see that you are able to get a perfect job opening, but it needs you to shift to some new place.

So if you are not ready to move anywhere at this moment, then it is better that you stay out of those opportunities. Not every job is right for you.

13. Lack of attention towards the details:

There are some employers who specifically mention what they want out of the candidates, but there are many who don’t have the patience to go through the details properly.

So even when the job ad says that you must not send an email instead you need to come in for an interview, you will see that most candidates drop in their resume. It doesn’t help them instead it disqualifies them right away.

14. Overlooking some of the common interview questions:

By now we all have a fair idea about what the common interview questions can be therefore it is important that you prepare them well.

The questions are simple, but are common ones too. Therefore, you must prepare a self –introduction, then why you want to join in that particular company where you are going for an interview.

Then you must also prepare a list of your strengths and weaknesses when you are going for an interview because you can expect a question on that as well.

15. Inappropriate social media presence:

You can find it really cool to share some of the personal photos where you are partying like a wild with your friends, but have you ever realized that those photos can bring down your image in front of your future employer!

If you are wondering how it is possible, then you will be surprised to know that there are many employers who send in a friend request so that they can view all your images.

This is one of their ways to check what you are in your personal life and whether you are dependable enough or not!

16. Applying for a job and then forgetting about it:

Many job seekers commit this same mistake. They apply for a job and then don’t have the urge to connect with them again.

Mostly people say that they don’t see anybody’s name out there whom they can contact but the reality is different.

If you want to get in touch with the concerned HR person or the recruitment department, then they can go online and get the name from there. If they can at least get an email address then also they can use that to follow up.

17. Having no questions to ask:

When you appear in an interview, then it is not only about preparing yourself for the interview instead you must also prepare questions that you can ask the interviewer.

After the interview is generally over the interviewer asks whether there is any question that you want to ask.

If you say that you don’t have anything to ask then it shows that you are simply not interested in the industry and this kind of negative approach will not fetch you a job because companies want to hire only interested candidates.

18. Not recording your progress:

It is important that you have a plan when you are searching for a job and it is equally important that you note down your progress as well.

You will have to note down each move and record the progress to help you track down the progress towards your ultimate goal of finding a perfect job for you.

19. Underprepared for interview:

Over confidence is the key to unsuccessful career. If you think that you are good enough for this job, then you might be wasting your chance of clearing the interview for this job as well.

In today’s market the candidates who are not well prepared will easily be toppled by the ones who are well prepared because of the stiff competition.

20. Not following up after the interview:

Once the interview is over, the candidates end the relation there only with the interviewer, but if you send in a handwritten thank you note then it will give you an extra edge over others. Even a thank you note through email is also acceptable.

21. Matching up the skills of the company:

Before going for an interview you must research well about the company. When you know well in advance what skills are in demand in the company you will be able to highlight that skill of yours in front of the interviewer so that you can assure them that you are the right choice for the job.

22. Unsolicited resumes unwanted:

While searching for a job if you are sending out unsolicited resumes, then you must stop right away because these are considered as garbage and nothing else by the companies.

23. All alone in the market:

It is best if you tag along someone with you when you are searching for a job. The market is huge and if you want to get maximum response then buddy up with someone to explore more opportunities.

24. Spelling check and grammar correction on cover letters as well as a resume:

You must check well before sending out the resumes to different companies because in case you have spelling mistakes or grammatical error in your resume or the cover letter then it will leave a bad impression.

After you have drafted the final resume just ask your friend or family member to go through the resume once so that they can point out if there is any mistake about it.

25. Opting out of the local chamber of commerce:

Everywhere there is a Local Chamber of Commerce where all professionals meet after work hours. If you are not part of that then you are missing out on huge opportunities.

There are associations of young professionals as well, so if you are not networking there, then you will miss out major opportunities.

26. Avoiding signature block in an email:

If you have prepared a signature block for yourself in email then you will be able to give a short description about yourself stating your years of experience and what you want out of your job.

27. Forgetting to customize the cover letter:

When the candidates are sending out the cover letters, then mostly they forget to customize it as per the company as well as the position they are applying for.

Many candidates are forgetful about this and they land up sending out the same thing to different companies.

28. Trying to get an offer everywhere:

When you are meeting somebody, then you can talk in general about the company and gather as much information you can about the company.

It is not a good practice to look for job offers everywhere because if the person senses that you are building a relation just because you want to get a job, then it will not help you in any ways instead it will make the person feel duped.

29. Restricting your preparation to resume only:

If you are restricting yourself to the preparation of resume only without looking in other direction to identify where the problem is then it will hamper your chances even more.

It might happen that your resume is perfect, but maybe you are lacking elsewhere, so you need to concentrate there to improve and prepare well for your next interview.

30. Presenting yourself in an unprofessional manner:

If you are not able to project yourself professionally then you might end up losing the chances of getting through in an interview.

If you are not able to dress up or act positively then you will make a wrong impression on the interviewer and you may wind up losing the opportunity.

These are some of the mistakes that you must avoid when you are preparing for a job search. You have the potential to find yourself the perfect job but you need to prepare well for that.