5 Job Hunting Mistakes To Avoid

Finlay James are the most followed IT Sales Recruitment Consultancy on LinkedIn (why, thank you), so we know a thing or two about how fierce the job market is. From initial application through to offer (and sometimes beyond!) a minor mistake can result in the catastrophic loss of your dream job.

Here's a few mistakes that even the best candidates have made:

1. You don’t match the ‘MUST HAVE’ requirements.

When I was job hunting, I came across a lot of roles that I knew I could do but there was one or two items in the ‘must have’ section that I didn’t possess. Not a big deal, right? Wrong. Now in recruitment, I know that there is a specific reason why those ‘Must haves’ are there. And more often than not, they are included because the client needs those skills or certifications.

I always encourage candidates to reach above and beyond, because we learn as we progress and without progression you cannot learn... That being said, if the role calls for a Java Software Engineer and you’re a Retail Manager with 0 Java experience, it’s likely to be a no. Sorry!  

2. You Arrive to the interview too early.

You’ve researched, maybe rehearsed and you have probably prepared a list of questions. You want to show the hiring manager that you are eager for the job, so you arrive 30 mins early? No, no, no! Arriving too early makes you look desperate; Arrive with 10 minutes to spare.... Interviewing is like dating, you’re there to scope each other out and see if there’s a match. Don’t scare off the Hiring Manager by being an eager beaver.  

If you do arrive super early, find a coffee shop nearby and wait it out. It may even give you a second to do any last minute prep.   

3. You don’t follow up.

You’ve had the initial interview, you enjoyed the time spent. You leave the interview in high spirits with the promise of feedback in the next few days. You wait for the feedback. And wait… and wait. What went wrong? Well, the hiring manager probably interviewed four other candidates on the same day for the same position and you were the only one that didn’t send a follow up email.

Send a short, personalised email to each interviewer thanking them for their time and reiterating your interest. If there were any objections, reiterate your rebuttal, equally including a short reminder of any key points raised when you met. The follow up email can be the difference between being put through to the next stage and not – a definite must!

4. You follow up.. in person.

There’s only one thing worse than not sending a follow up and that is following up in person. Send a short, punchy email thanking them for their time and keep it moving. Showing up uninvited to the Hiring Manager’s office three days post-interview is unprofessional and if I’m honest, a bit creepy.

Save yourself some time, effort and the potential risk of a restraining order and send an email.

5. Asking what the package is too soon.

Of course, we all want to know what is on offer, but asking too soon can scupper your chances of advancing to the next stage. You want to show the Hiring Manager that you’re interested in the opportunity and that you’re the wo(man) for the job, before jumping into compensation. 

If you’ve first had a phone screen, the closing questions are a great place to throw this in. Firstly, reiterate your interest in the role, perhaps ever quickly cover off your skill alignment again and then follow with something along the lines of:

“The position sounds really interesting. May I ask what the salary range is? I really like the sound of the role, but I don’t want to waste your time if we aren’t in the same bracket”.

If it’s a face to face, you’re likely not going to want to waste everyone’s time if the compensation isn’t in the same ball park. The real sweet spot for covering this off is just before the second interview; When you get the call or email inviting you back, it’s your time to strike. Use a similar tone as above, confident but delicate.

Like what you read? Check out some more pearls of wisdom here. 

[email protected] 

0161 438 1930 ext.1006 

Twitter: @missmimichapman