10 Mistakes Candidates Make When Looking For A Job
1. Lack of Planning and Focus
The majority of candidates don’t put much thought into their job search, and therefore aren’t very successful. Ensure that you set a basic strategy that works for you, which helps you to focus on your goals. Once this is in place you should look at common interview questions and practice answers to them. Don’t leave it until the day of your interview, be prepared!
2. Don’t organise their job search
It is just as easy to miss an email in your inbox as it is to send one, so make sure you are aware of what jobs you’ve applied for and when. Buy yourself a notebook or open a word document and record all of this data. This way, you will be organised and instead of forgetting to follow up an email, you will remember, and do so in a timely manner.
3. Apply to E V E R Y job
There are hundreds, even thousands of people who don’t understand why they haven’t got a job, after applying to hundreds. This could be due to the fact they apply to every job, and don’t even have the relevant experience that’s stated in the job description. Make sure you are applying for roles you have a chance of getting! If you’ve been working in call centres for 10 years, you wouldn’t apply for the role as a doctor, would you?
4. CV doesn’t match the job spec
This is another common reason that those people, who apply for hundreds of jobs, never get one. You must ensure you tailor your CV to each and every application. This way you’ll be showing you have the right skills for the job, rather than a list of generic ones which don’t interest those people who are deciding whether you’re getting an interview or not!
5. Badmouthing a previous employer
Why would a potential employer hire you after you’ve sat and criticised your previous employer? If you can easily show disrespect, what would stop you doing so against them if they hired you and you later left the organisation? It doesn’t matter how you left your last role, there are other ways to explain the circumstance. Say that you are looking for a wider variety of challenges, or more authority.
6. Being Under prepared
Being unprepared for an interview shows that you don’t respect your work, and don’t care if you waste other peoples time. You should make sure that you take the time to not only read up on the company, but the job profile and your CV. This way you can tailor your answers to show how your skill set is ideally matched for the job role. Always have a set of questions prepared for the interviewer, so when you are asked “Do you have any questions for us?” you’ll show you have done your research and are genuinely interested in working for them.
7. Sharing Too Much Personal Information
Many job candidates often mistake sharing the intimate details of their personal life as being honest, but in reality recruiters don’t want or need to know! Avoid explaining to a potential employer that you dropped out of university and don’t know what to do with your life.
8. Poor communication skills
This is one thing candidates don’t tend to think about when preparing for a job search or interview. Verbal communication skills include bad language and talking too much, two things which will make a bad impression. You must also consider your non-verbal communication skills and how you can be judged on your handshake or the way you walk into an interview. If you spend the whole interview biting your nails or playing with your hair your potential employer may put this down to nerves, but may also think you are hiding something.
9. You show you’re desperate!
There are candidates out there who have been out of work for a long period of time or are desperate for the job. Some of these candidates will say almost anything to ensure they get the job. However, a lot of recruiters pick up on this and will identify that they probably can’t do the things they are claiming.
If you are desperate for the job, don’t show it! By all means, show that you are enthusiastic about the role, but avoid rambling and ensure beforehand that you plan short and concise answers to potential questions. Once you answer them make eye contact and smile. Show you are in control, not desperate!
10. Failure to Research the Company
Going into an interview without knowing a thing about the company puts you on the back foot. You should have done some basic research on the company before you applied for the role, so you could see whether you’ll be the right fit for the company’s culture. By researching a company you can see what their goals are and what you’ll be able to offer them. Candidates with no knowledge of the company can’t tailor their skills to the role leaving your potential employers unable to see how you’d fit into their company!
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