3 Mistakes That Keep You From Landing a Job

The most common job-hunting mistakes that might be preventing you from landing a job

After attending many interviews and not landing a job, you start wondering whether you’re doing something wrong. And although sometimes the decision has nothing to do with you, other times there are a few small things that make a huge difference for recruiters.

In this post, we break down the most common job-searching mistakes you might be making that could cost you your dream job, as well as how to fix them.

Why Does It Seem So Hard To Land A Job These Days?

Apart from the lack of positions available, the educational gap, and similar, other factors can keep you from landing a job. These can include the way you present yourself at interviews, your digital footprint, poor language skills, aligning yourself to the company’s style, etc.

When preparing for an interview, you might think you have everything you need to walk out of the boardroom victorious. A perfect resume, well-rehearsed possible questions, and answers, a detailed monologue about your life, hobbies, and education, and the list goes on.

But if you have all of this and you think you did great in your interviews, why do you struggle with securing your dream job? This is because things have changed over time and hiring managers and recruiters consider other key factors, apart from the ones mentioned, that are as equally as important.

For example, you might have the ideal profile, impressive resume, and excellent language skills, but your social media platforms showcase you as an unwanted person in the eyes of the company. Or, you present yourself as the perfect candidate but once you leave the interview room you act like a completely different person.

In the following part, we’ll talk about the 3 most common job-hunting mistakes that keep you from landing a job, and how you can identify and change them.

1. Your Privacy Settings On Social Media

The type of content you decide to post on social media is up to you, but when applying to jobs, it is important to follow the company’s guidelines on the topic or at least keep your accounts private.

Your digital footprint is also extremely important when looking to avoid job-hunting mistakes. Before applying for a job, make sure your accounts display only the content you want people to know about, even if you have a private profile.

Many times we’ve seen old Tweets or Facebook posts compromise people’s jobs, which is why spending some time analyzing your social media accounts can help you avoid common job interview mistakes.

Always try to present yourself in a positive way, and this doesn’t mean changing your personality or thoughts to just land a job. But rather sharing your ideas in the best way possible, with respect, compassion, and fundaments.

2. The Way You Present Yourself

Playing the part when arriving at an interview is very important, and if you’ve been to many interviews and can’t seem to land a job, you might be making this common job-hunting mistake.

Dressing appropriately and taking care of yourself is essential during the process of landing a job as well as after you’ve successfully acquired the position. Depending on the role you’re applying to, the tone and style of the company, and the way you are recommended to dress might change.

People looking to get their dream role in a fashion magazine might not dress the same as individuals looking to manage a law firm, for example. Always check the company or business profile to have an idea of how to dress, and you can also check the job’s description to see if they’ve left any guidelines for a possible interview.

Investing in yourself is one of the best things you can do for landing a job and taking care of your mental health. If you look tired, and like you haven’t had a proper night’s sleep in a while, recruiters might think you won’t be able to succeed in the position you’re aspiring to land.

3. Not Being Certain Of The Role You Want

There’s a difference between applying for your dream role and applying for a common position you don’t feel passionate about. You can apply to as many jobs as you want, that’s for sure, but when moving forward to interviews, you should have a clear decision of where you want to be.

Lack of certainty in the role you want can lead to vague interviews, which is a common job-searching mistake. If you need a bit more time to decide where you want to work or the tasks you feel best at doing, simply take a step back until you’ve figured it out.

You can make a list of the things you consider your dream job should have and look for a position with the same or similar qualities. When going for an interview, you’ll be thrilled and excited to land the role, which will be visible to recruiters and can help you be considered for the position.

Not being sure of what you want can lead you to accept a role you won’t be happy in, and you’d be surprised how many people make this job-searching mistake.

Final Words

In this post, we talked about the most common job-hunting mistakes that prevent people from landing a job. These include your privacy settings on social media, the way you present yourself at interviews as well as not being sure of which type of role you want to land.

Avoiding these job-hunting mistakes is easy once you detect them, and this post can be used as a guide to help you finally get your dream position.

Above all, it is important that you remain patient but not still, meaning that you should apply to multiple job listings but also spend time networking and presenting yourself to hiring managers to show initiative.