Job hunting? Avoid doing these 7 things

As another wave of graduates take their steps into the world of work, it’s easy to get caught up in the bad habits of your peers when it comes to job hunting.

The modern job market is a scary and competitive field where young twenty-something’s battle it out for the top spots – but are you committing the 7 deadly sins of recent graduates? Or are you a job-seeking saint?

Here are the top 7 job search sins for you to find out…

Using the wrong CV format

There are three types of CV you can create, and they all work best for different job roles and different scenarios. There is the Chronological CV – best for those planning to remain in the same field and want to highlight consistency and progression.

There’s the skills-based CV – used for those with gaps in their career or those who want to highlight specific skills or abilities from a wide range of industries.

And then there’s the Hybrid CV – best for those who want to hybrid transferrable skills from a range of roles, but also wants to present a solid employment history. When handing in a CV to a potential employer, you have 8 seconds to impress. Often, it’s not just what you say, but how you say it.

Relying on just the internet

Reed, Indeed, LinkedIn, Monster Jobs, Guardian Jobs… there are hundreds of job sites full to the brim with potential opportunities, but all of them are competing with each other for the same roles.

It’s estimated that less than 25% of students use their university’s careers advisor as a job searching resource, and even less are willing to go and hand out CVs in person.

Careers advisors can be a great way to hear about opportunities you may not have previously considered, and also excellent for gaining tips and insight into writing cover letters and preparing for an interview. So, although the internet can be extremely useful, don’t forget about the good old fashioned methods, too!

LinkedIn misuse

Your LinkedIn is NOT your Facebook profile. I repeat, is NOT your Facebook profile! Recruiters and potential employers do not want to see photos of you on holiday with a mojito in-hand, nor do they care about your charity run dressed in a tutu.

Keep your social profiles separate and appropriate for their use. If you are a keen sharer on social, maybe make your personal profiles private to avoid any awkward eye contact during an interview. Trust me, they will try to find you!

Failing the follow-up

After an interview, it’s always best to follow up the same day, to thank them for their time and to show you are interested in hearing back from them quickly.

Keep it short and polite, mention something memorable from the interview or any conversations you may have had, and address it to the hiring manager as well as the person who interviewed you.

You want to paint yourself in a confident, positive light so that they are left with a good impression while

Failing to create your brand

In a world where most of your competitors have their life online, you need to establish a ‘brand’ for yourself to set you apart from your peers. Whether that be a style of work, a field of expertise or specific skill set, you need to make yourself more valuable than other candidates.

Look through your previous work and showcase where you have had the most success, find which skills you have been praised the most for, or look for patterns in the work you’ve produced. When an employer asks “tell me about yourself”, you should have a good sense of how to answer.

Not writing a new cover letter each time

Every single job you apply for should warrant its very own cover letter, personalised to the specific title, organisation, and skill-set of the role. It doesn’t take long to tweak once you have your main cover letter template, but it will really set you back if you’re applying for a role in marketing, yet only mention your interest in social media – capeesh?

Not being willing

Lastly, one of the biggest sins committed by recent graduates is not being keen to sacrifice some free time to learn more. One of the biggest qualities you can bring to a job is the ability to listen, yet most graduates are too keen to establish themselves in a company to take the time to learn. Offer your skills for free, take on extra courses, network and attend conferences – whatever it takes to mould your skills to be exactly what your company needs.