Job Search Mistakes

There are many people out there looking for jobs, 0:00 and not everyone's doing it the same way. 0:02 Some people may be getting better results than you are, and it's not luck. 0:04 Well, there may be a bit of luck involved, but some of us 0:08 are better at looking for jobs than others. 0:11 To understand how others are doing things better than you, 0:13 it will be prudent to look at the mistakes that you are potentially making, 0:16 so you can avoid these things right off the bat. 0:19 To start off, you probably don't have a clear objective. 0:22 By this, I don't mean the objective in your resume or CV. 0:26 I mean that you haven't really thought out a strategy to your job search. 0:29 What most people do when they're job searching 0:33 is to open up a couple of job boards, type in keywords for the jobs they're looking for, 0:37 then, with a million browser tabs for each job application, 0:41 they'll send off the exact same resume and cover letter to every single one 0:44 and just wait for a response. 0:48 If that's you, I recommend trying out a new approach. 0:51 When you send out so many applications, you're going to feel terrible 0:53 when you don't hear back, because you'd expect, with that many applications out there, 0:58 you're bound to get results, right? 1:02 Well, mass applications aren't the key. 1:04 You should treat a job search like a sales process. 1:06 Each company is a customer that you're trying to sell yourself to. 1:09 Since each customer is different, your sales pitch should be tailored to match 1:13 exactly what they're looking for. 1:17 And this involves things like customizing your resume as well as your cover letter. 1:19 We'll get into that later, though. 1:23 Secondly, you might be applying for jobs that you're not qualified for. 1:25 Now I don't mean to say don't reach for the stars. 1:29 If you feel like you're qualified for a job, it's okay to apply. 1:32 But nowadays, especially with more people looking for a job than normal, 1:36 and hundreds, even thousands, of people applying for one job, 1:39 you're going to get lost in the crowd. 1:43 What makes it even worse is that computers sort through these applications, 1:45 not people. So algorithms search for keywords that match you up with a company's desired profile. 1:49 If you don't have the necessary skill set, or if you didn't bother 1:54 to reformat your resume to include the right keywords, 1:58 a recruiter won't even see your profile to begin with. 2:00 So when you're sending out over a hundred applications, all with the same resume, 2:03 keep in mind that you could be setting yourself up for a lot of rejection. 2:07 Having a detailed but succinct resume that is tailored for each application 2:11 is an art. By not spending time on your resume, you're shooting yourself in the foot. 2:17 Now this goes hand in hand with what I said about algorithms sorting keywords. 2:21 You need to make sure that your resume highlights 2:25 exactly what is needed for the job, and you do that by focusing on results 2:28 as well as responsibilities. 2:32 Most resumes only list responsibilities— 2:34 things like improved UX to optimize checkout experience and user retention. 2:37 Now all this shows what you did. It doesn't say if you actually did your job well, 2:42 and recruiters might just brush your application aside, 2:47 because it looks like everyone else's. 2:49 Instead of responsibilities, focus on results. 2:52 Change improved UX to optimize checkout experience and user retention 2:54 to implemented a streamlined store checkout flow, 3:00 which reduced shopping cart abandonment by 32% 3:03 and increased overall revenue by 18%. 3:06 These blurbs tell employers exactly what they need to know 3:09 and why you would be a great fit. 3:13 Avoiding listing only responsibilities if you can. 3:15 Another mistake you're probably making is sending out templated cover letters 3:18 out with your resumes. Now keep in mind that so are thousands of other applicants. 3:24 A cover letter is your place to shine. 3:28 It's the only chance you have to make an impression on the recruiters 3:31 before the actual interview process. 3:34 If you're sending out a "Hi, my name is X, and I'd like to apply for this position" 3:36 type of cover letter, you're probably going to land in the discard pile. 3:41 A common mistake that everyone makes is not networking. 3:44 Now this is a big one. 3:48 I can't reiterate enough that if you're just sitting at home and applying online 3:50 for random jobs, there's a high chance you won't get hired. 3:54 You need to differentiate yourself, and you should do that by networking. 3:57 People hire people they're familiar with. Don't be a stranger. 4:01 Get involved with the company and community. 4:05 Now there are a lot of ways to network. 4:08 You don't have to necessarily go to an event in person, 4:10 although I would highly recommend you do so. 4:13 You could also engage with people on Twitter or other social networks, 4:15 have a conversation on their blog—there's lots of different ways. 4:18 We just talked about another mistake that you could be making, 4:22 and that is not cleaning up your social presence. 4:25 Don't hurt yourself by leaving breadcrumbs of inappropriateness all over the web. 4:28 Finally, the last mistake you're probably making is not preparing well enough 4:32 or preparing at all for the interview. 4:37 If you've been making any of these mistakes, you now have an inkling 4:39 of why you didn't hear back from that potential employer. 4:43 In the new few videos, we'll go over everything you should be doing 4:45 to land that job. 4:49