Top Five Fatal Mistakes Job Seekers Make

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by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

Searching for a job can be really stressful; you question every move you make, and everywhere you turn, someone has a bit of advice for you.  But there are certain things that you shouldn’t do under any circumstances. These are the top five mistakes that job seekers make, just for you!

1. Not customizing your resume and cover letter for the position that you want.

During your job search, I bet you are finding a lot of really awesome job descriptions. Ones that fit you perfectly, others not so much, but you’re finding ones that you could fill. So why aren’t you customizing your stuff so that you stand out from the crowd?

With more and more employers using software that filter resumes and cover letters by keyword, you don’t want to sabotage yourself by not customizing your resume and cover letter to the job posting. One word of warning to the wise: don’t completely recreate the wheel, just spend five to ten minutes changing some words to fit the post.

2. Not researching the company before you go in for the interview.

What research? It’s just a company, right? Wrong. A company’s culture means a lot about your success or failure as an employee of that company. Some companies support your efforts to go back to school, some believe in professional development, and some companies have a really strict dress code. These are all things that you can find out with a little bit of research.

If you can, try to establish a connection within your network who has some experience with the company you’re applying to, or who has a friend who does, and really think about what you want out of an employer. Asking questions like, “What is your typical work day like?” is a great one to open with and listen for clues as to how often their interaction with their supervisor is, what their coworkers are like (even how good the coffee is), which are all good indicators of what the company is like.

3. Not having a solid answer to “Describe your biggest weakness.”

Preparing for the interview is one of the most important things that you can do! There are plenty of websites out there, like here and here, that can give you lists of popular interview questions and how best to answer them. We would also strongly encourage you to think outside the box on these and other questions, and really answer them as yourself, and then tweak those answers to fit the pat answers provided. Practice with someone!

4. Not asking for time to consider an offer before accepting it.

I know that it is exciting to get a job offer, especially if you've been out of work for a while. I’ve been there… out of work for six months and no real prospects on the horizon, and then out of the blue you get a call and an interview! It goes so well that you are so excited and want to accept… STOP. This is the time to consider your options carefully. Review the offer. If they are offering you the bottom of the pay scale for the position, say $12 an hour, but you have 7 years of experience, why not come back with a counteroffer of $17 an hour? They might accept, and they might not.

Consider the math. Twelve dollars an hour is $24,960 a year before taxes. Subtract about a third of that for taxes and FICA… that leaves you with $18,635.36 for yourself. Compare that with $17 an hour: $35,360 before taxes; $25,951.76 after taxes. Which will actually cover your monthly expenses? What about other perks, like medical and dental insurance? Paid time off, possibly to go to the doctor? (Please note that the above calculations were based on an assumption of 40 hours a week, filing as single, no deductions, and exempt, living in South Carolina.)

5. Not knowing when to say “No.”

One of the biggest harms to your job search is you. Your friends and family think that you have all of this time now that you can devote to them – and you really don’t, do you? Your full-time job right now, while you’re unemployed, is looking for a job. That means spending time on job board websites (like this one, this one, and this one) scrubbing for jobs that fit you, writing your resume so that it is customized for the positions you’re applying for, writing your cover letter fifty ways to Sunday, going to networking events… do they pay overtime for this?

I’m not saying don’t do stuff with your friends and family! Just prioritize your job search, just like you would if you did have a job. Don’t give in every time someone calls and asks you to do a huge favor for them, like walk their dog while they're out to lunch. You have priorities, so learn to say no so you can focus on those.

I hope these help you in your job hunt, and if you need any help with any of these tips, don’t hesitate to give us a call and let us know where you need help. That’s what we’re here for!