With unemployment at unprecedented highs across the globe, job seekers are under more pressure than ever to stand out. This takes a perfect application that combines enthusiasm, professionalism, clearly conveyed skills, abilities & affinities, and an application process that’s completely free from flaws. That’s why we’ve put together a selection of the ten most common mistakes that candidates make when applying for jobs. Avoid these pitfalls, and your chances of securing the perfect position will be much higher.
Utilizing the Same Outdated Strategies for Marketing & Outreach
The global pandemic has changed the way that the world works. Every business and individual has been forced to adapt. Candidates can’t expect to do any different. Success goes beyond a cookie-cutter approach and an antiquated methodology. One needs to stand out, showing their proactivity while using everything that they can to give prospective clients and employers a clear picture of themselves as an individual.
Accompany your meticulously crafted professional correspondence with a video introduction, a short clip expressing your gratitude, or an explainer video showcasing your affinity and proficiency in action using screen recorded footage. Media makes you stand out so use it right.
Allowing Video Conferencing to Gimp Your Application
Communicating over distance is the norm so make sure that you’re ready to give a stellar impression. Glitches, nerves, poor audio quality, and a stuttering, laggy video stream aren’t going to get you anywhere, granting the impression of being unprepared and thus disinterested. Preparing for your upcoming video meeting via Zoom or Google Meet is equally as important as preparing yourself for an in-person interview.
Prepare your camera, mic, set a good area to video call in, and get in a few practice sessions before your interview or any professional meetings.
Placing Applications in too Many Places
Enthusiasm for the hunt can lead many job searchers astray, causing candidates to mass place applications to everything that looks interesting. This in turn translates to being massively underprepared for the role, and far too often the interview itself. Generic applications that are churned out with little interest in the specific company culture, role, and responsibilities are immediately detected by any hirer, seasoned or not.
Approach each role realistically and give the position your full focus and complete consideration before rushing off and applying just because it looks exciting at a glance. Prepare yourself for the role’s requirements and establish the unique strengths that solidify you as the best candidate.
Setting & Conveying Unrealistic Salary Expectations
If you set salary expectations that are too high it is highly likely that you’ll be immediately putting yourself out of reach of many potential employers. Your general suitability and ability to stand out from the crowd mean nothing at all when you’re immediately disqualified as an opportunity due to a salary that companies in your industry simply cannot afford. Negotiation is essential but now is not the time for aggressive action.
Compensation discussions are currently a place where you need to tread lightly. Salaries have scaled-down significantly, and benefits packages have changed. Keep this in mind when securing yourself fair compensation, and a bright future.
Not Staying Mindful of Empathy In Company Communications
It is vitally important to keep in mind that each and every one of us, and all companies out there, have struggled with personal challenges because of the coronavirus. Neglecting to emphasize by overlooking the human connection will guarantee a bad impression. No one is looking for falsity but sensitivity to the situation is essential as companies need people who they can work with in regards to motivation, company culture, work ethics, and general good morale.
No one knows how you feel if you don’t verbalize your empathy for the challenging situation that a business, organization, individual, or team finds themselves in. Express yourself openly and plainly, but don’t forgo relating to the difficulties shared.
Maintaining a Hasty, Impatient Attitude
Keep in mind that there are more job seekers now than ever. At the same time, roles and responsibilities have changed forever which makes the ideal candidate and hiring process involved a far sight different from what we’re all used to. Impatience will get your application knocked off the list for consideration. Following up on your application is a good thing, but if you’re hasty instead of diligent a potential employer smoothing out the nuances of the staffing will disqualify you without giving it a second thought.
The challenging time that the world finds itself in leaves all of us battling our own personal struggles so remember that interactions with prospective hiring organizations are going to all take longer. Patience is a virtue.
General Rigidity & Inflexibility
Business has changed. Society has changed. People have changed. How, in an entirely new landscape can a candidate remain inflexible in their attitude towards job responsibilities, workplace culture, schedules, and hiring processes? Whether compromise is required in terms of hours, part-time instead of full-time employment, remote-work accountability, or diminished benefits, both employer and candidate are forced to shift towards less liability and packages which may seem more limiting in the short-term.
Adaptability is going to carry you far further than you’d ever imagine in today’s challenging business environment so keep your expectations open, and remain flexible.
Being Overeager and Accepting of Everything
If you shift conversation towards your desperation for getting a job you’re going to attract the whole wrong type of employer. Desperation serves no one well, even if your circumstances warrant it. Refrain from mentioning how you’d be willing to do everything in the office, accept a massive pay drop just to get the job, or work all inordinate hours in order to put yourself ahead as the prime candidate. Focus on your personal value as an employee but stay calm and show good judgment when opting to pursue roles that suit you best. Jumping at every opportunity will soon leave you having to start the search all over.
Make sure that you’re suited to the role, responsibilities, location, organizational structure, company culture, and long term expectations of the opportunity you’re applying for rather than rushing into everything.
Pausing the Job Search Until the Current Dismay Passes
If you wait until the air has cleared and business returns to normal, you’ll be waiting forever. Every minute that you put things on pause in light of a brighter tomorrow, you’re narrowing your options and opportunities. Roles requiring existing skill-sets and experience are filling faster than ever, while innovation leads the way on new fronts of business. This means that the longer you wait, the more you’ll need to change the way you approach getting hired, and the more limited you are in terms of following your current career direction.
Show potential employers your strength and practical value by picking out a skill or experience that’s valuable during a taxing period (such as the current crisis) and express it as a highlight when you reach out in search of a job.
Chasing Down Opportunities Without Being Innovative & Eager
Remember how we told yen ou not to be overeager? Don’t mistake this for a lack of initiative as it’s your very zeal itself that’ll make you the preferred choice for many a-company. There are countless qualified individuals, many who match the company culture of a prospective hirer as perfectly as you. Getting noticed, and remembered, is about exuding a presence that’s memorable, one that shows without a doubt that you’re an interested, self-enabled, team player.
Maintain an eager, enthusiastic, proactive attitude, asking questions to gain insight, and relating wherever and whenever possible without being forceful, pretentious, or assuming. Your attitude wins half the battle before it’s fought.
Innovate, Adapt, Succeed
Adaptation, healthy enthusiasm, and a proactive approach will fruit the greatest results in today’s uncertain job markets. Candidates who prove that they’re self-driven innovators and team players will secure the most lucrative positions in the most secure firms. Keep our insight in mind, and consider allowing Opportunity to support and supercharge your job search. With the help of our cutting-edge AI-powered platform, you’ll be giving yourself the best chance of securing that perfect job possible.