5 Tips to Make the Job-Hunting Process Better

Finishing your degree and graduating is not only a time of happiness and joy, but also one of facing what is ahead and preparing accordingly.

For many, job searching for a position in their industry of interest will be a priority. Preparing, and seeking help/advice will be crucial in this time.

Here are some things to avoid doing during this time.

1. Don’t take things personally

Reading the job description and believing that this is your ‘dream’ job can be a toxic mindset that heavily affects your perspective whether or not you get the job.

Although all employers want their candidates to show a certain degree of enthusiasm and commitment to the position they are applying for, being engrossed in this mindset will make a rejection much harder to deal with.

To clarify, your mindset shouldn’t be to apply to every job posting in the past month without asking yourself if you are the right fit. Rather, it’s key to find a position and company where you believe you will fit in, but it is important that you take a step back to understand that the vision of yourself working at the company may not match their own.

In other words, avoid bringing the personal into your job application; while the interviewer will appreciate your motivation and commitment, there is still a possibility that you are not the right fit.

A rejection doesn’t mean that you are not good enough on a personal level, but rather that they do not see you fitting in with your specific skill set and experience. Take a step back!

2. Applying to everything

If you can’t find any available position in your industry of interest, you may start applying to positions that aren’t as relevant. Be careful!

While you may hear back from more people and maybe even be offered to attend more interviews, you may find yourself in a job that you do not find interesting and with little room for improvement.

While experience is definitely important and is highly valued in a CV, you shouldn’t fill your CV with random jobs; this is known as ‘job-hopping’ and hurts your CV.

Instead of focusing on applying to as many jobs as possible, focus on sending out better applications. Indeed, 75% of applicants for a given role aren’t usually qualified to do it. Job descriptions exist for a reason!

3. Practice does make things better

Your very first interview will be a massive hurdle but a crucial first step. From this point onwards, you can build up your confidence and improve on your interview performances.

Ideally, you should have prepared a few bullet points that outline your key characteristics. Don’t prepare a full script! If you get asked a question that you did not prepare for in your script, you will only give a weak answer.

Bullet points are more condensed and should be used as a guide to help your responses. Practice these either by yourself or with a friend’s help. Similarly, practicing in a mirror is also helpful; mannerisms also matter in an interview!

4. Tailor everything

Sending quality applications is important and the only way to make a good first impression on a job application is through the personal statement and your CV.

Writing a generic personal statement that states you are a ‘motivated and hard-worker’ without any experiences relevant to the job you are applying for is a weak start. Change and re-write your CV, cover letter and personal statements depending on the job you are applying for.

Job descriptions aren’t only there to give you an idea of what the tasks will be, but also as a resource for you to use. If the job description mentions ‘time management’ as a key attribute, then mention that you have strong time management skills and then back it up with a relevant experience.

The same should be done for your CV; emphasize the relevant skills and experiences that you do have for said position. This can mean bumping a relevant experience to the top of the list on your CV and explaining in greater detail what your responsibilities were, and highlighting relevant skills.

William Tong is a contributor for Inspiring Interns. 

Inspiring Interns is a graduate recruitment agency which specialises in sourcing candidates for internships and giving out graduate careers advice. To hire graduates or browse graduate jobsLondon, visit their website.