Looking for a job can take a lot of time and energy. To make sure that your time and energy is being well spent, it’s worth assessing your job-hunting strategy. A few common mistakes could be stopping you from getting hired. Here are a few mistakes to avoid.
Putting too much information on your resume
Employers receive a lot of resumes and often don’t have the time or patience to read long sprawling essays. Try to condense your resume so that it only contains relevant information. If you’re trying to land a job in accountancy, consider whether you really need to discuss your paper round job as a 13-year-old, your high school French grades, or the fact that you love horror movies.
Sticking to popular job boards
Popular job boards are a good place to find vacancies – but they’re not the only place to look for jobs. By not exploring other options, you could be missing out on opportunities. Consider trying niche job boards – for instance, if you want to land a job in medicine, it’s worth finding a new employer on Practice Match. You may also find jobs being advertised on social media, at job fairs, and via recruitment agencies. It’s worth even applying directly to companies that aren’t advertising just in case they may be thinking of expanding their team.
Failing to network
Many people find a job by talking to friends and friends of friends. Make sure to take advantage of your close network – if you know anyone who may work in your target industry, reach out to them. You may also be able to take advantage of networking events such as seminars, conferences, and conventions.
Not doing enough company research
Employers like to know that you’ve researched the company and that you’re not just applying to whatever vacancies come up. This is particularly important during the interview – you’re likely to be quizzed on certain aspects of the company, or you may simply be asked to tell the employer what you know. You can do your research online, by looking at their site and by checking out any other media sources, or by even visiting your local library.
Failing to collect references
Some employers may ask for references. Make sure that you have previous employers and people in positions of authority lined up who you can contact to give you a reference when necessary. You don’t want to be scrambling around last minute looking for people who can provide a reference.
Not knowing your worth
Certain skills and experience could make you valuable. Make sure that you’re not applying to positions where you’re overqualified and likely to be paid less than you deserve. Similarly, you don’t want to be reaching above and beyond your worth. It’s also important to know the average salary that people are paid in your industry – if you do get hired and you get around to discussing the salary, you need to be sure that you’re being offered a reasonable amount of pay.
Not chasing up applications
A lot of people send out applications and never follow them up. Chasing up applications can show that you’re keen. It’s definitely worth doing if you haven’t heard back from an employer after an interview. Avoid hounding employers repeatedly as this will annoy them and potentially destroy your chances of getting hired – a single follow-up email or phone call may be all that’s necessary. Zety offers a guide to chasing up applications that could be worth reading.
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