5 biggest job seekers mistakes and how to avoid them

Let’s talk about some of the most common job seekers' mistakes. Plus, learn the tips on how to avoid them and land your dream job in tech!

1. Job search without a plan

This is definitely the?“number 1” mistake?that I’ve seen throughout my recruitment career, or even now while mentoring others or providing?personalized career consultation sessions.

A lack of a plan can?significantly slow down?your job search process or?make it even impossible for you to get hired.

Ask yourself if you have ever done one (or more) from the below list:

• not spending time researching the market and just?blindly applying to companies
• sending your application to?every?open position that you’re interested in (or the ones you believe you’re qualified for)
• sending?outdated CV/resume
• having a LinkedIn profile?just because someone told you that it’s necessary,?but not spending time on?updating and polishing it
• replying “I’m interested” under other’s people posts on social media, and?not doing any follow-ups

2. Sending general/outdated CV?(or the one containing mistakes)

Using a CV template is OK as long as you customize it so it reflects?your?knowledge and experience. Also, remember to always?keep it updated.

I’ve had numerous amount of conversations with job seekers who were sending me outdated CVs or where an important change wasn’t reflected just because they…forget about it and were mentioning it only during the job interview process.

Having errors or mistakes such as?not working hyperlinks?is another quite common mistake (especially among Engineers). I strongly advise you to double-check all of them before applying for a job.

Keep in mind that a CV is one of those things where?the “one-size-fits-all” approach won’t work.

Tailoring it to the specific role?should be on top of your list.

Pro Tip:?think about how you’re using the space that is available to you.

CV packed with infographics (timelines, graphs, icons, or bar charts) might be less readable or even less understandable for people reviewing it.

3. Leaving your Linkedin profile blank

I’m very active online (mostly on LinkedIn & Twitter) and here’s something I’ve been hearing/reading a lot from other people:

“LinkedIn isn’t working for me!”?or?“I’ve created a LinkedIn profile, waited for a few months and no one ever reached out to me!”.

Here’s the truth: No one will ever reach out to you if all you have is the job title of your current/last employer.

Leaving your LinkedIn profile empty is one of those big job seekers' mistakes.

There’s a significant difference between?“I’m on LinkedIn”?vs?“I’ve up to date LinkedIn profile“.

LinkedIn is all about keywords. That’s it. That’s all the magic behind it.

Recruiters are looking for candidates using keywords. An empty profile without them won’t even show in the search results.

I totally understand the frustration behind the job search process. But you need to understand that?people won’t be even aware of your presence there when your profile is missing some key facts.

As I was?mentioning in this article, companies do have their own internal recruitment teams and/or are using external recruitment agencies to help them find and attract future employees. And while there are many ways how to do it, many Recruiters / Talent Sourcers will always start their searches from LinkedIn.

Don’t eliminate yourself from the game and let others discover your profile.

4. Underestimating the power of networking?& online presence

Those 2 areas are something that can significantly speed up your job search process and put you ahead of others.

How?

Imagine we have candidate A and candidate B (let’s agree they’re both women). Both of them are about to graduate from a university / finish a coding bootcamp / have similar working experience.

But there’s one huge difference between them: in addition to the above, candidate A created a profile on social media where she was sharing her coding journey with others. Not only she became a part of the community, but also started networking with others.

Thanks to that she found out about some online/offline events/meetups, which of course she attended as well. After some time (and with encouragement from the community she was already a part of) she decided to sign up as a speaker.

Later she became more confident in her technical skills and started teaching others during programming workshops. There she met another group of people and broader her network.

In the meantime, she created a?GitHub account?where she kept track of her coding projects?and a?LinkedIn profile?in order to showcase her skills, and knowledge and to be able to connect with other professionals.

After some time people started recognizing her and companies/organizations were inviting her to be a speaker at their events.

Who do you think will have higher chances of being noticed and getting a message from Recruiters while still studying/going through the bootcamp / working at the previous company?

The answer is simple:?Candidate A.

The above is not a sci-fi story, but something I’m seeing quite often happening in real life.

Of course, it does require time, and dedication and isn’t something that can happen overnight.

5. Not preparing for a job interview

Inviting for a job interview is already a great achievement, but?it doesn’t guarantee you land a job.

One of the job seeker mistakes that I’ve seen happening quite often is?joining the job interview call without preparation. This is a mistake that can cause you to get a job!

Your preparation should include at least:

• doing the research about the company (check their website)
• learning more about your interviewers (you can do that via LinkedIn)
• preparing?your list of questions
• practicing answering job interview questions

Keep in mind that depending on the role you’re aiming for,?you might be also asked to code?(it’s called “live coding” or a “whiteboard interview”).

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The article was originally published on my blog ElaInTech.com