9 Ways To Fail At Your Job Search

Illustrated with GIFs

Note: This post was originally published on 18th December 2015.

Job searching can be a tough ordeal. It’s not easy and it’s not particularly fun. But, there is a big prize waiting at the end if done correctly. Here are some pitfalls that all too many job seekers fall into. Avoid these 9 mistakes and you’ll be on your way to job search success.

1. The Scatter Gun — Applying for every role. Applying for every company. Ever.

Ah, the famous scatter gun approach. If someone fires off enough CVs and job applications then at some point they’ll strike lucky. Right?

Perhaps they will, but this certainly doesn’t mean it will be a job opportunity that they’re a good fit for. As Stephen Hunt once said;

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

It’s much better to be strategic whilst job searching and to be very targeted with a select few companies/opportunities that are really of interested. You have to hustle to get noticed, and the quickest way to being ignored, is it to be average. Sending your CV to 500 companies is very, very average.

2. The Templated Application — Write once. Copy, paste, send. Rinse, repeat.

“I had a look at the job description and it perfectly matches my experience”.

“I wish to apply for the advertised job at your esteemed organisation”

What are the likely thoughts of the employer when reading these phrases in an application? ‘Which job are you even applying for? What experience? Do you even know the name of my organisation?’

Of course, this applicant doesn’t know the name of the company, because (in a similar vein to the scatter gun approach) they have used a templated email/cover letter to cut corners with their application. They might even think they are being more strategic than their peers who are using the scatter gun approach as above. They keep telling themselves, ”I’m only applying for roles that are of interest and that I’m suitable for.” But ultimately, it’s still a waste of time. You need to be tailored and specific in every application.

What interests you about THIS company?
What interests you about THIS role?
What makes YOU the best person to join THIS company in THIS role?

3. The Money Grabber — Is money really all that matters?

Of course everyone has a pay threshold that they’re aiming for. There are bills to pay. However, no company wants to receive a job application from someone who is ONLY concerned about the salary and benefits package.

“I already earn £Xk per year and need more. Will I get it at this job?” isn’t a great look.

The trick here is how to approach the subject. Making demands from the outset is off-putting and doesn’t reflect well on the candidate. Instead, asking politely and making sure there is an alignment between the employer’s expectations and the requirements of the candidate is the way to go. Ultimately, there should be more focus the things that really matter for the mutually beneficial, long term success; the responsibility, the team, the value the applicant can provide to the company, the learning opportunity and growth potential etc. Try to not let the discussions about salary leave a sour taste in anyone’s mouth. If it turns out there is a misalignment, politely part ways.

4. The desperate “I’ll take anything” approach

Searching for a job is about the applicant being able to convince someone that they can provide value to them as an employer. Being desperate and letting on that your expectations are low enough that you’ll take any opportunity that comes your way only achieves the opposite; an employer will realise that you’re not in demand and question the value that you’re able to provide to them.

5. The Illiterate — Speling N Grama matterz

CV up to date? Check. Ready to send your application? Check. At this point the best thing to do is pause, read over everything again and get an extra pair of eyes to check everything for you too.

It’s not uncommon for applications to be instantly rejected based on simple mistakes. The thinking is that if an applicant can’t take enough care to make sure their job application is the best it can be, then what is their attention to detail going to be like whilst on the job itself? Most employers just can’t justify spelling and grammar mistakes from candidates.

Remember that you are being evaluated on everything you send in your application:

• Your CV’s spelling, grammar, formatting, design
• Same again for a cover letter
• Attachment file names
• Email communication

6. The idle slacker — Searching for a job is your job, nobody else’s.

The unfortunate truth is that searching for a job is hard work. The good news is that for those who put in the effort there are great opportunities to be found. (Check out our Career Hustlers Series for plenty of evidence of this in action.)

Job applications require out of the box thinking. They require care and attention. They require persistence. Only those at the peak of their game have opportunities just land on their plate. For the rest of us, hustling and putting in the effort is the way to go.

7. The sneaky cover up — deal with obvious issues head on

There is nothing worse for an employer than receiving what appears to be a good application, only to discover glaring inconsistencies that raise concerns and questions about the candidate. It could be unexplained career breaks, strange patterns in education or the fact that the candidate applying for the role is currently living in another country.

The best way to alleviate these concerns is to deal with them head on and explain the circumstances in the application.

• Applying for a role that is being advertised as an ASAP start but you don’t finish full-time education for another 3 months? Say so.
• Applying for a role in one city and currently living somewhere across the world? Explain your ambition and plans to relocate.
• Applying for a role that you are clearly overqualified for because you are looking for a stable position with a more balanced lifestyle? Be upfront about your change in trajectory.

Don’t cover up, don’t try to disguise and don’t try to ignore the elephant in the room. Be authentic and be honest.

8. The skim reader — what’s in the job description again?

Whilst it’s not always necessary to match the job description 100%, it is important that applicants are aware of the finer details within the job description. In every job description there will be some details that simply can’t be overlooked.

The obvious but commonly missed detail?
Location.

There really is no point in applying for a role that you can’t commute to or that you’re not happy to relocate for. If you are happy to relocate then you should probably say so in your application; if an employer sees your address is not within commuting distance it’s another sticking point to overcome.

Beyond the location, make sure you have understood the “must-have” criteria, read any instructions in the job application of how to apply and put your best foot forward.Demonstrate your attention to detail with a highly tailored application referring back to details in the job spec.

9. The questionable fraud — are you really as good as you say?

Arguably above all else, employers are looking for evidence that an applicant can perform in the role. They’re looking for a reason to invite them to interview and explore the candidate further. The best way to do this is to have evidence of work, examples of projects previously worked on, and stellar testimonials. Ultimately this comes down to the strength of the candidate’s personal brand and how well they communicate themselves.

A software engineer without code examples to show?
A web designer with an illegible website?
A digital marketer with 20 twitter followers?
You get the idea.

Employers will be scouting you out across the web and looking at your social profiles. If you can’t be found, this is another red flag so get your profiles in shape and show them just how good you are.

Hopefully the above will make you more prepared. As simple as they may seem, they’re common pitfalls for a reason; too many candidates fall into their trap. Whilst avoiding them can often mean more work upfront. Best of luck!

Know any other common mistakes that are made? We’d love to hear them and share them. Let us know in the comments.