Here’s 5 bad job search habits that you should try to break, not just for Lent, but forever:
During the job hunt…
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Relying on your CV
In today’s competitive job market, employers are looking beyond the CV for what candidates have to offer. You must combine your applications with other ways of finding out about job opportunities, such as networking and social media activity on professional networks such as LinkedIn to connect with the relevant people in your industry. You should also make good use of specialist recruitment consultants. Talk to your consultant regularly, being clear on exactly what you’re looking for and what your background and key achievements are. This way your recruitment consultant is best placed to effectively sell you in to appropriate positions and do the work of your CV for you.
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'Scattergun' approach to applications
Stop sending your CV to anything and everything, this approach will get you nowhere. Remain focused on your skill set and relevant work history. Concentrate on specific positions that have close correlations to your qualifications and professional experience and tailor your applications to suit each company you contact.
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Getting distracted whilst job hunting
Searching for a job means going online, and this presents a whole range of distractions and things you’d rather be looking at. The temptation to take a 5 minute Facebook break can be huge, but 5 minutes can quickly turn into 50 and you’ve lost track of what you’re doing. Set a designated time slot each day for job searching and during that time don’t deviate from the task at hand – perhaps even set a target number of applications per day.
When you land an interview…
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Not doing your homework
Employers will always pick up on how much research you’ve done into the responsibilities of the job opening and the company. This shows the employer that you’ve applied for the role after considering the facts and taking an interest in the company, rather than applying out of desperation.
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Projecting an unprofessional attitude
Whether it’s turning up late, not dressing appropriately, behaving too informally, being overly confident, forgetting your manners or texting in the reception area before you go in for an interview – someone will be watching you at every stage and your bad habits won’t go unnoticed. Remember what you’re there for and act like the professional that the employer is looking for. If require some support in your job search, then get in touch with one of our experts today on 0161 825 0825 or visit out candidate tips area
here.
