41 Mistakes that Job Seekers Make which Kill Their Career Prospects and Sabotage Their Job Search
(1) Go into a new field without major research
(2) Send the same thank you note to all interviewers
(3) Think they have to have 100% clarity as to what they want before they start to look
(4) Only submit to job postings and never reach out to people at companies directly
(5) Assume the tactics that worked for their job search three years ago will work for them now
(6) Pursue the search alone and do not seek out support groups or professional assistance
(7) Immediately assume they are not getting an interview because the are (insert old, young, female, male, of a certain race, not ethnic enough, short, tall, skinny, fat, etc) and not focus on the tactics they can control to improve the presentation of their skill set and overall candidacy.
(8) Expect recruiters to know for which job they would be best suited
(9) Talk down or inflate their accomplishments when selling themselves in an interview
(10) Email the same cover letter to all positions to which they apply
(11) Only read a company’s website when preparing for an interview and fail to research the interviewer, the job or the firm’s competitors
(12) Flounder answering interview questions because they did not research themselves to speak effectively about their background in detail on an interview
(13) Use an ill-focused resume to communicate their skill set and then get flustered when hiring managers do not call them for an interview
(14) Figure they are bulletproof at their job
(15) Be resistant to change and unwilling to try new things to help themselves
(16) Follow-up too often in a too pushy manner
(17) Do not follow up enough and doing so in a manner lacking confidence
(18) Use the same mainstream, ineffective tools to find a job and get frustrated why it is not yielding superior results
(19) Research job leads WAY TOO MUCH and send out an inadequate amount of outbound communications to move your job search forward
(20) Have their resume depend on their cover letter to outline to a recruiter what position they are seeking (what if it is separated or never read?)
(21) Creating a cover letter that is a prose version of their resume and failing to demonstrate how they can add value to a firm or solve a main problem if hired
(22) Remain behind the computer and never interacting with people personally or over the phone
(23) Use napkins or scraps of paper to give contacts your contact info—get a business card!
(24) Rarely use Linkedin to find prospects or did not set up a robust LinkedIn profile to help recruiters to find them
(25) Get too caught up in privacy issues which make it difficult for employers to find them and their credentials online—and then wonder why no one calls them
(26) Have others proofread their resume and cover letter for typos and grammar errors
(27) Use too formal or too casual language in electronic and verbal communications
(28) Dress inappropriately for the interview and failing to factor in the corporate culture when assembling the interview attire
(29) Fail to bring copies of their resume and references to the interview
(30) Speak in generalities and do not use specifics when speaking about accomplishments
(31) Cite job description-type bullets on their resume and do not use achievement-based language to construct the employment sections of the resume
(32) Ask for too much in compensation trying to make up for pay cuts they had/chose to take
(33) Ask for too little in compensation—it can convey lack of confidence in abilities
(34) Approach the entire job search process with a sense of entitlement, depressive-state or overall piss poor attitude
(35) Fail to embrace the major prominence of social media tools and their effectiveness in a successful job search
(36) Have poor or incongruent representation of themselves on Facebook or Twitter and other personal-focused social media outlets
(37) Include information on a resume, in an interview or on an application about political, religious or controversial social issue leadership or volunteer activities
(38) Follow an unhealthy lifestyle that can affect their physical energy and mental well-being. Job searches are an athletic event, in my opinion, and job seekers need to be in good shape!
(39) Miss the boat on contributing to industry-focused blogs and embracing niche social communities to advance their search and increase their contact base
(40) Surround themselves with negative-minded people that contribute to a defeatist attitude. Surround yourself with winners and positive-minded people!
(41) Lose hope
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11 Comments on “41 Mistakes that Job Seekers Make which Kill Their Career Prospects and Sabotage Their Job Search”
Fantastic, Lisa!! Great advice, as always. And thanks especially, for #41 – one of the most important rules, in my opinion.
I don’t recall ever seeing a list that rivals this one for size, but every single one of them is great advice!
Thanks, Ed!! That is great feedback!
I agree, Laurel…without hope there is nothing. Thanks so much for your comment!
Thanks so much for this list. I’m using it to help ensure I stay on target.
I also agree that #41 is one of the most important to remember.
This is a very useful and comprehensive list though number 25 concerns me. Once you let the privacy horse out of the barn on-line, it is very difficult to shove it back in. Unless a person is limiting their self to one industry/one job description not all information about a person will be suitable for all interviewers to know. I think it’s also important to keep in mind unscrupulous people phish information off of job boards, Linked In and through responses to help wanted advertisements to facilitate illegal activities. One needs to find balance in making themselves visible and available without jeopardizing their security or future employment searches.
Fantastic information. Go with your instincts, but be prepared. I too think that you have to contact the people that are important in the process. Find out who they are and contact them. I am not even opposed to just showing up. What do you have to lose in the midst of hundreds of other applicants?
Thanks, Caleb, for sharing your additional comments. You are spot on! It is about creating opportunity for yourself. Granted, one must be strategic about their actions–certain activities like showing up are great for certain venues and not great for others–but the key is taking risks to make yourself noticed.
Thanks, Emma, for citing your concern. You have a very valid point shared by many. I agree with you, that we need to be cautious about where and what info we post about ourselves. It is key to be strategic and selective….but if a job seeker is not getting many calls, one thing we need to troubleshoot is: “Is it easy to find you?” Sometimes it is not easy and that contributes to the problem of not getting those interview phone calls…just something to think about.
Thaks, Jeannine, for reading and contributing…
I really appreciate your support.
These are some great tips that have really opened my eyes to approaching a job search from multiple angles. Thanks for getting to the point.