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There are many people out there looking for jobs,

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and not everyone's doing it the same way.

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Some people may be getting better results than you are, and it's not luck.

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Well, there may be a bit of luck involved, but some of us

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are better at looking for jobs than others.

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To understand how others are doing things better than you,

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it will be prudent to look at the mistakes that you are potentially making,

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so you can avoid these things right off the bat.

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To start off, you probably don't have a clear objective.

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By this, I don't mean the objective in your resume or CV.

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I mean that you haven't really thought out a strategy to your job search.

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What most people do when they're job searching 

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is to open up a couple of job boards, type in keywords for the jobs they're looking for,

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then, with a million browser tabs for each job application,

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they'll send off the exact same resume and cover letter to every single one

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and just wait for a response.

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If that's you, I recommend trying out a new approach.

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When you send out so many applications, you're going to feel terrible

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when you don't hear back, because you'd expect, with that many applications out there,

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you're bound to get results, right?

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Well, mass applications aren't the key.

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You should treat a job search like a sales process.

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Each company is a customer that you're trying to sell yourself to.

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Since each customer is different, your sales pitch should be tailored to match

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exactly what they're looking for.

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And this involves things like customizing your resume as well as your cover letter.

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We'll get into that later, though.

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Secondly, you might be applying for jobs that you're not qualified for.

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Now I don't mean to say don't reach for the stars.

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If you feel like you're qualified for a job, it's okay to apply.

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But nowadays, especially with more people looking for a job than normal,

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and hundreds, even thousands, of people applying for one job,

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you're going to get lost in the crowd.

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What makes it even worse is that computers sort through these applications,

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not people. So algorithms search for keywords that match you up with a company's desired profile.

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If you don't have the necessary skill set, or if you didn't bother 

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to reformat your resume to include the right keywords,

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a recruiter won't even see your profile to begin with.

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So when you're sending out over a hundred applications, all with the same resume,

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keep in mind that you could be setting yourself up for a lot of rejection.

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Having a detailed but succinct resume that is tailored for each application

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is an art. By not spending time on your resume, you're shooting yourself in the foot.

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Now this goes hand in hand with what I said about algorithms sorting keywords.

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You need to make sure that your resume highlights 

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exactly what is needed for the job, and you do that by focusing on results

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as well as responsibilities.

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Most resumes only list responsibilities—

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things like improved UX to optimize checkout experience and user retention.

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Now all this shows what you did. It doesn't say if you actually did your job well,

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and recruiters might just brush your application aside, 

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because it looks like everyone else's.

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Instead of responsibilities, focus on results.

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Change improved UX to optimize checkout experience and user retention

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to implemented a streamlined store checkout flow,

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which reduced shopping cart abandonment by 32% 

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and increased overall revenue by 18%.

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These blurbs tell employers exactly what they need to know

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and why you would be a great fit.

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Avoiding listing only responsibilities if you can.

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Another mistake you're probably making is sending out templated cover letters

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out with your resumes. Now keep in mind that so are thousands of other applicants.

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A cover letter is your place to shine.

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It's the only chance you have to make an impression on the recruiters

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before the actual interview process.

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If you're sending out a "Hi, my name is X, and I'd like to apply for this position"

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type of cover letter, you're probably going to land in the discard pile.

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A common mistake that everyone makes is not networking.

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Now this is a big one.

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I can't reiterate enough that if you're just sitting at home and applying online

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for random jobs, there's a high chance you won't get hired.

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You need to differentiate yourself, and you should do that by networking.

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People hire people they're familiar with. Don't be a stranger.

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Get involved with the company and community.

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Now there are a lot of ways to network.

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You don't have to necessarily go to an event in person,

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although I would highly recommend you do so.

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You could also engage with people on Twitter or other social networks,

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have a conversation on their blog—there's lots of different ways.

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We just talked about another mistake that you could be making,

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and that is not cleaning up your social presence.

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Don't hurt yourself by leaving breadcrumbs of inappropriateness all over the web. 

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Finally, the last mistake you're probably making is not preparing well enough 

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or preparing at all for the interview.

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If you've been making any of these mistakes, you now have an inkling

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of why you didn't hear back from that potential employer.

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In the new few videos, we'll go over everything you should be doing

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to land that job.