Are you worrying about the wrong things in your job hunt?

Searching for a new job can feel like a full-time job on its own. Unless you’re a zen master, you probably find yourself getting pulled in many different directions, unsure of what you should be focusing on at any given time. The problem is, when there are too many tasks that require your attention, you wind up not giving adequate focus to any of them.

To make sure you’re using your time and mental energy wisely, take stock of what activities you’re over-indexing on and make a game plan.

Are the actions you’re taking today worth the effort?

Odds are, you’re spending at least some of your time focused on tasks that aren’t moving the needle on your job hunt. You might be spinning your wheels on these action items because your parents told you they were the most important or simply because it’s a habit you’ve fallen into over the years. Now’s the time to ruthlessly prioritize and drop anything that’s not serving your goals.

The perfect cover letter.

Cover letters are easy to get sucked into — you want to make sure you sound smart and interesting while convincing the reader that you’re the perfect fit for the job! The reality is, recruiters and hiring managers are skimming cover letters at best and for the most part, are just looking for red flags.

Instead: Spend an hour writing a thoughtful template and then no more than 20 minutes repurposing it per role you apply to. Share meaningful stories about ways you’ve made an impact in your most recent role and write a few sentences about what you’re looking for next. Make it specific to the job and company. That’s it — now move on.

The role you’re 100% qualified for.

If you’re spending all day combing through job postings and throwing out ones that you’re missing one or two qualifications for, you’re losing out on roles that could be awesome growth opportunities. Silence the inner voice that’s telling you not to apply — let the recruiter be the one to decide.

Instead: Just apply. Seriously, any time you find yourself asking yourself “am I even qualified for this?” get up, look yourself in the mirror, and say “who cares, I’m applying anyway.” Then find someone to refer you and apply. Now that you have all this extra free time, consider posting on your social media accounts (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter) that you’re on the job hunt — you’ll be surprised how many of your friends will want to help you.

The vibe you give off.

You see advice everywhere to share your personality on your resume. On its own, that advice is solid — if a recruiter smiles when they see that you’re extremely passionate about doing triathlons and fostering puppies, that’s a win. But if you don’t have any hobbies that are worth talking about, don’t stress. No one’s making hiring decisions based on what you do for fun.

Instead: Be true to who you really are — share your actual interests on your resume; if you don’t have many besides going out to eat, traveling and hanging out with your friends, skip that section entirely. Use the hour of your time you just got back to carefully reread your resume and cover letter for proper formatting and grammar.

The dream job.

You might be going after your absolute dream job — the company you’ve always pictured yourself at in the role that feels like it was made for you. Fantastic. Just keep in mind that you can go after that magical role with your whole heart while also sending out applications for other positions. Lots of other qualified people are going after that role as well; most applications don’t even get looked at, so set realistic expectations for yourself so you don’t get disappointed if things don’t work out exactly like you imagined.

Instead: Broaden your horizons and apply to as many roles as you can. More importantly, find people who can refer you. No task in the recruiting process pays off more than finding people who will put in a good word for you at their company. Remember, they usually get a bonus for every candidate who gets hired from their referral so there’s something in it for them too. Don’t lose hope about your dream job, but diversify your options so you actually get a job.

Hone Club is offering a volunteer-based program to help people who’ve lost their jobs in the Services Industry due to COVID-19 fix their resumes and give them overall advice on transitioning into Tech. If you know anyone who might benefit or who could help as a volunteer, they can sign up here: https://www.thehoneclub.com/join