5 Biggest Job Search Advice Mistakes You Can Easily Avoid
Here’s a fun fact: the average job seeker spends about six months looking for a new position. That’s right, half of a year.
It’s an undeniably depressing statistic, but it also means that plenty of people have been in your shoes before and have learned from their mistakes.
So as you embark on your own job search journey and start making some common mistakes along the way, know that you’re not alone!
In fact, these five basic blunders are so common, yet so avoidable, that even seasoned professionals make them all too often.
1. Outdated Resume Strategies
Don’t use the same resume for every job. It’s tempting to just copy and paste your last resume for a new position, but this is a bad idea because it will make you look like an amateur.
Instead, spend some time refining your document to reflect your strengths and achievements in this field, and include any relevant training courses you’ve been on and the training company that you trained with. Adapt your resume for each position you are applyin for.
In addition to avoiding recycling old documents, you should also avoid using outdated templates. Similarly, don’t use a template that’s too long.
2. Narrowing Your Job Search
The job search landscape is in a state of flux. With the advent of social media, job boards, and applicant tracking systems (ATS), it’s not uncommon for people to assume that you can only find work through one channel—usually LinkedIn—and that everything else will be an afterthought.
They don’t realize that while these channels are very helpful in their own right, they’re only part of the puzzle when it comes to finding your next gig.
The key to effective job searching is using multiple channels at once: social media recruiters, niche job sites such as Monster or Indeed, your network and personal connections, applying directly to companies’ careers pages and emails, etc.
This multi-pronged approach will help ensure that no stone goes unturned as you try to land a new position that works best for both parties involved (you and the employer).
3. Not Practicing Your Interviewing Skills
Practice, practice, practice. As we mentioned earlier, there’s no way you’ll perform well in your interview if you haven’t been practicing beforehand.
This can be as simple as roleplaying with a friend or family member and answering some basic questions.
If they’re willing to play along, get them to put on their best interviewer demeanor and see how well your responses hold up.
It’s important to have a list of questions ready to ask the interviewer as well. You can ask about possible benefits or company culture.
One big question that many potential employees have is about paid time off. Learn how to ask about that here.
Also, try some of the tips and tricks here.
4. Forgetting to Follow Up
Within 24 hours after your interview, it is proper to follow up with a thank you email.
Be sure to mention something specific about the interview in the email.
Ask if you can follow up with a phone call. Emails can get lost in the shuffle so you may have better luck by phone. If they say yes, call them within the same time frame.
Ask for a tour of the office, if appropriate. This will help you picture yourself working there on a daily basis and show how much interest you have in the job opening.
It also gives them an opportunity to show their human side and helps build rapport with potential future coworkers before they’ve even hired anyone yet!
5. Keeping Your Job Hunt a Secret
You don’t want to be alone in this process. In fact, it’s important to let your friends and family know what you’re doing. They can be your biggest cheerleaders and help with a variety of things.
For example, if you need someone to drive you around for interviews or hold down the fort for you so that you can interview during the day, they’ll be happy to oblige.
Your loved ones will also be able to give honest feedback on how well an interview went, which is invaluable when preparing for the next steps in the hiring process (like the next round of interviews).
You might feel like giving up at some point during the job hunt process—but having people who love and support you will keep that from happening!
Conclusion
If you make these mistakes, it’s okay. No one is perfect, and it’s easy to let your guard down when you’re looking for a job.
Keep yourself out of harm’s way by avoiding these mistakes at all costs so that everything will go smoothly when you find the right position for yourself.
