In a competitive job market, even the spelling of your name is enough to knock you out of contention for a job today.
Job hunting is all about being careful. Be careful about what you write, what you say, how you apply and how you pitch your qualifications to employers. Done right, it will help you get hired. Done wrong, you’ll make your job search much more of a challenge.
That being said, here are the most common mistakes job seekers make so you can avoid making them.
Common Mistakes To Avoid When Applying For Jobs
1. Too much information in your cover letter
The hiring manager doesn’t need to read about the personal reasons you want this job or about why it would be great for you.
He does not want to know anything about your family background or your relationship history. These details are irrelevant and cause the recruiter to doubt your qualifications. Other personal information such as age, marital status, race, religion, or health should also be removed from your cover letter.
You need to prove your abilities quickly and efficiently. Avoid writing about anything related to your weaknesses or inexperience in your cover letter. Focus on your strengths.
Rather, he or she wants to know what you can do for the company.
Keep your cover letter concise and focused on why you are the right fit for the job and worthy of an interview.
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2. Not matching your qualifications with the job
Matching your qualifications to the requirements of a job is a very important step. However, most job seekers don’t do this. They never care, but only want to be invited for that interview they never work for. Isn’t this stupid?
Look, making a match is about how your strengths, skills, and qualifications match the requirements of a particular job or employer.
It’s up to you to show the hiring manager why you’re perfect for the job. Don’t do guesswork.
3. Dressing Inappropriately for a Job Interview
A big part of getting a job is making a good first impression, and a big part of making a good first impression is how you dress for the interview.
Regardless of how perfect your CV is, first impression matters and what you wear should be carefully put into consideration.
So, be mindful when choosing your clothes. If you’re going to wear a daring color, like red, does it tactfully, making sure the overall design of your outfit is especially conservative.
In that case, don’t wear attires that look too loose or too tight. For ladies, avoid wearing short skirts and dresses that will give you hard a time sitting which would be really annoying to the recruiter.
For the men, avoid wearing a suit with loud, obnoxious colors, busy-printed shirts or overly patterned ties. Take the conservative approach, and save the fun stuff for after you’ve got the job.
4. Saying the Wrong Thing at a Job Interview
There are some things that you should keep to yourself during a job interview – even if you’re thinking them. Be conservative in what you say and share, and keep the focus on your skills and qualifications for a job.
As with resumes and cover letters, there are some things that are better left unsaid during job interviews. The interview should be all about what you have to offer the company.
Focus on making a match between yourself and the job, not on why you want it. Saying too much can knock you out of the candidate pool.
6. Trashing a previous employer
Speaking badly of your previous employer may identify you as someone who is not easy to work with.
Even if you left your previous job on bad terms, try to focus on what you learned and how you plan on moving forward
7. Not proofreading
Hopefully, everyone has heard that this is a serious problem, and, yet, the lack of basic proofreading of submitted job documents still remains a significant factor in disqualifying applicants.
Remember typos can cost you the chance of getting hired. An effective technique to proofreading spelling errors is to read the document backward, breaking the logical flow and helping us to spot out errors, more than slow reading does. A perfect scan!
In the end, it’s easy to get discouraged during your job search, but knowledge is power. Hopefully these facts and mistakes will motivate you to switch up your process and land that job you deserve.
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