Top Job Search Mistakes 

Looking for a job can at times be quite a lonely exercise. You may have the support of your family and friends but when it comes down to it, it really just involves you. And when you are doing something alone with little or no feedback from other people, it is very easy to make mistakes and not even realise. If you’ve been searching for a job for a while with no success or perhaps if you’re just embarking on your job search, it’s worthwhile knowing about the most common job search mistakes that can be made and then of course making sure that you avoid making them! From our experience in both HR and Recruitment, these are the Top Job Search Mistakes that many candidates make:

Having a ‘one size fits all’ CV

Employers and recruiters are looking for one thing when they review a CV – evidence that a candidate matches the job vacancy that they have. They are able to ascertain that within seconds of looking at a CV. It’s essential then to tailor your CV to match the role. That means of course looking at the job advertisement, the job description, if available, and ensuring that your CV highlights how you have the required skills, competencies and requirements for the post. It also means tailoring your personal profile to match the position applied for. A CV which has a fairly bland or generic personal profile or worse still indicates that your career aspirations lie in another area altogether will do you no favours. To give yourself the best chance possible, make sure that your CV truly reflects how you are the best candidate for this particular role, not just any role.

Only searching in one way

Although admittedly there are fewer jobs around these days, there are actually more places where you can look for them. Whereas not too long ago jobseekers had to rely on job ads in their local press or in jobcentre listings, now there are a plethora of places to look. The biggest mistake many jobseekers make however is to only look in one or other area and to exclude the others. Looking for a job these days will still involve looking at newspapers, jobcentre listings but will also involve looking at online job boards, company websites, recruitment agencies and social media. Use all the resources out there – yes, there may sometimes be duplication with the same job advertised in several different places, however at least by looking in as many places as possible, you are opening yourself up to more potential opportunities.

Looking for that perfect job

Does the perfect job really exist? Well, unless you have actually created it yourself, most probably not. Most people do jobs every day that aren’t necessarily perfect for them. There may be specific duties that they don’t particularly like but which they still have to do day in and day out. If you are trawling through job boards and then get put off from applying by specific elements of a role that you wouldn’t enjoy, it’s time to get real. Your quest to find that perfect job will probably never end. Yes, you should enjoy what you do for a living however you should also realise that sometimes it’s important to simply get on with it. If those duties that you dislike are simply a small element of the role, then consider all the other duties and the benefits you will gain from undertaking them. Strengthening your experience and developing your skills will only serve to make you more employable and consequently help you along that road towards a job that you would really love. Also don’t disregard temporary or freelance work – both can be beneficial in so many ways.

Having no plans

Many people say that looking for a job ought to be treated like a job in itself and they’re probably quite right. To do it well, requires a sense of direction, structure and planning. A common mistake that many jobseekers make is that they approach the whole thing in quite a random manner – looking at job boards when they remember to, or only considering advertised jobs, forgetting about other important elements like networking for example. If you are actively looking for a job, it’s important therefore to create a plan – a strategy if you like. Get into a routine and aim to be proactive every day in your job search. Make sure though that you incorporate a little variety. Don’t simply rely on searching online at the same time every day. Get out there and network. Go to your local jobs club. Contact employers on a speculative basis. By planning and having a more defined structure, you stand a better chance of your job search succeeding.

We hope that by making you aware of these Top Job Search Mistakes, you won’t make them! Got any other tips you’d like to share? Why not let us know via the comments section below.