11 Mistakes to Avoid When Applying for a Job in 2025

Planning on applying for a new job in 2025? This article is for you.?

Applying for work is a tedious process. And if you’re making one or more of the mistakes I will discuss here, you’re wasting your effort and reducing your chances of getting an interview. Let alone the job.

Part of my job is to review resumes and conduct interviews with candidates on behalf of clients.?

These are the most common mistakes I see job applicants make. I want the recruitment process to be smooth for applicants and HR recruiters alike.?

For each point, I’ll make recommendations on what to do and what not-to-do as a job seeker.?

10 Mistakes to avoid When applying for a job in 2025

Based on my experience reviewing thousands of resumes and interviewing hundreds of applicants each month, these are the most common mistakes applicants make when applying for a job.

Not reading–or meeting–the job description

I get it. You’re applying for a role with overlapping job requirements and criteria among companies. There are also companies that just take a job description as copy-and-paste from another company.

As an applicant, it’s your job to carefully read the job description and identify your areas of strength and weakness. Based on this, you should decide if this is a role you want to apply for not.?

Not all roles will fit your skills or years of experience.?

Applying for a job that asks for someone with at least 5 years’ experience, when you only have 2 is risky. You’ll likely be included as a backup but priority will go to those who fit the qualifications and hiring criteria better.

Sending an old resume

In a competitive market, job seekers want to send their resume to companies before other candidates do. However, one common mistake they make is sending old or not-recently-updated resumes.?

This hurts their chances of getting the job as recruiters may send their resumes to the bottom of the pile or ignore them entirely.

Bonus tip: Make sure to list your most recent work experience first.?

Ghosting the recruiter

The recruitment process is long for recruiters, hiring managers, and job seekers alike. One common mistake I’ve been seeing a lot lately is ghosting the recruiter or not showing up for the interview.?

This leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth. It makes recruiters’ jobs harder and reduces your chances of getting a job.?

It also prompts the recruiter or employer to wonder if this person will pose problems in the future.

If a candidate can’t come to the job interview, they need to notify the recruiter at least a few hours in advance. This gives the recruiter the chance to reschedule. It’s normal. Emergencies happen. Recruiters and hiring managers understand this.?

But not showing up with no heads-up or apologies. A recruiter isn’t likely to reschedule.?

Companies that use an applicant tracking system (ATS), can include notes about candidates for future reference.

Applying for irrelevant jobs

No recruiter likes a candidate that wastes their time.?

I understand that the job market, regardless of field, is tough. You’re struggling to find a high-paying job with a good compensation and benefits package.?

But applying for jobs that don’t match your skills or professional career, even if you’re desperate for a job, is one of the most annoying mistakes candidates make.?

It’s a waste of your time, the recruiter’s time, and the hiring company’s time.?

It’s also a great way to get blacklisted for future opportunities that might be relevant to your experience!

Trying to showcase everything in a resume

Recruiters aren’t interested in a course you took in 2005. To make sure your resume is relevant in 2025, you need to focus on recent experiences and courses. Especially those related to the job you’re applying for.?

Many job seekers try to present a ‘strong resume’ and write down a ton of courses, projects, and jobs. This makes the resume unnecessarily long and harder to scan.?

Focus on recent work and learning experiences. Skip old information, unless it’s 100% relevant or an important degree like a CFA or Master’s Degree.

Sending an empty email with your resume

Companies often have multiple open vacancies. One common mistake eager applicants make is send an empty email with their resume.?

This will force the recruiter to struggle in many ways.?

• They don’t know which job you’re applying for
• Their email might list you as spam, so they never receive your email
• You, the candidate, appear as though you don’t care about getting the job (so is it worth investing time in figuring out what you’re applying for?)

This is even worse when your resume doesn’t have your name or any indication about the role. Like ‘Ahmed resume’ or ‘Ahmed CV.’

Do you know how many people named Ahmed send their resumes each day??

Not researching the company before applying

Part of the applicant’s job before applying for a vacancy is to research the company. This helps them learn about their services and determine if they want to work for them or not.?

Some companies share information about their teams and work environment on their website or social media platforms.?

Doing 10 minutes of research can answer some of your questions about a company.?

Bonus tip: Check out their website and LinkedIn activity to learn more about a company you’re applying for.?

Not following application requirements

Companies list requirements for several reasons.

• They want to make sure applicants have read all the requirements.
• They want to filter out unqualified candidates.?
• They want to learn more about you.?

If a company asks for a cover letter, applying without a cover letter will get you disqualified. Even if you have the perfect resume.?

The same applies to the number of years of experience, where you’re based,..etc.?

Exaggerating skills

One common mistake job applicants make is to overstate or exaggerate their skills. They do so in their resume in hopes of getting to the interview stage.?

Some may oversell their skills during the in-person or online interview to get the job.

But let’s face it. Soon after they’re hired, their real skills and abilities come to light. Their exaggeration may get their foot in the door but it ultimately leads to getting blacklisted.?

Why? Because when they are hired, managers discover weak or limited skills that don’t support business needs.?

This means they need training, or the hiring manager needs to find a new candidate, thereby laying off this new, inefficient hire, and going through the recruitment process all over again.?

Skipping the screening questions

To filter applicants early, many companies include screening questions.

You’ve probably seen them. Questions like “Tell us about your experience with [certain job requirement, managing a team, handling conflicts,…etc.]

With ‘easy apply’ jobs on platforms like LinkedIn, there’s an option to skip those questions.?

My recommendation? Don’t. Don’t skip these questions.?

If the job isn’t relevant to your experience, don’t apply.?

Ignoring the work location mentioned

When recruiting new team members, companies will almost always prioritize those that live closer to them. Compared to those who?

If you’re willing to relocate, you may mention this in your resume. However, companies may still consider those living nearby because commuting costs employees time and money and can be a factor for high turnover.

Wrapping it up

The recruitment market is tough, wherever you are.?

And you definitely don’t want to be blacklisted by recruiters or hiring managers.?

As an applicant, you need to remember that your target isn’t just to get an interview. It’s to build a relationship with the business or recruiter. You may not get hired today, but they may consider you for another role in the future.

Got questions? Leave them for me in the comments and I will get back to you.