Shocking Mistakes Job Seekers Are Making

Five Shocking Mistakes Job Seekers Are Making That Slow Them Down in Finding a Job Fast

1. Their CV is all about them

This is the most fatal and common mistake job seekers make. They think that their CV is about them. Their CV seldom complies with the applicant tracking system (ATS).

2. They use as references people they haven’t communicated with for months or even years

Referees are people who can vouch for you as a person and as a professional. Can you imagine an employer asking your manager that you worked with 10 years ago to vouch for you? That will be a deal-breaker. The manager may not even remember you well – or worse, not remember you at all. It doesn’t only put the manager in an uncomfortable corner, but it is a disaster reference waiting to happen.

3. Their CV is full of mistakes

Mistakes in a CV reflect on the type of professional you portray yourself to be in the eyes of the employer. A carelessly written and looking CV can give employers the unfair impression that you don’t care about your work.

4. Their CV is not appealing, meaning if it were food, no one would want to eat it

Employers have their own work demands, and the last thing that they need is to be served with “a meal” that is not appetising. Even though food may be nutritious, not many people would want to eat it if its presentation was totally off. Imagine being served a well-cooked, nutritious meal that has a layer of rotten tomatoes on top and decorated with kids’ colourful toothpaste. Would you want to eat it? If the presentation of your CV is not enticing, don’t be surprised when employers ignore you.

5. Their CV does not look professional

Employers work in a professional environment. Whether you feel it’s unfair or not to be judged on your professionalism by the way your CV looks is besides the point. The fact is, it does matter! And no employer wants to bring a potentially unprofessional employee into their company. You may be a professional in your industry, but that doesn’t mean you can compile a CV that sells, just because you can put ink on paper.

We have seen many people, including so-called professionals, making these mistakes time and time again. If you keep making these mistakes, your job search will be a very, very long and draining journey while your resources get depleted. For some, the journey has been so long that they become what we call “discouraged workers”. Discouraged workers are “non-working people who are capable of working but have given up looking for a job” (Krugman & Wells, 2006:545). These workers comprise those who are highly qualified and experienced, including even professionals such as accountants, engineers, doctors, managers, and others. Latest statistics reveal that 4.3 million people were in long-term unemployment (being unemployed for 12 months or more) in 2018 in South Africa (Statistics South Africa, 2018). With retrenchments so common today and the economy contracting, you cannot leave to chance your approach to searching for a job.I

To avoid the above-mentioned pitfalls, visit this problem-solving page.