Searching for a job can be a vicious cycle sometimes. You apply to a job thinking you’re a shoe-in, get your hopes up and then you never hear back or get rejected before you start the search again. If you’re always left wondering what went wrong then we’re here to tell you, with our advice on why you’re missing out on a job.
To assume makes an ass out of you and me
One of the most likely reasons why you’re missing out on a job is you’re making too many assumptions. Assuming when you tell people that you’re ‘looking for new opportunities’ they’ll know exactly what you’re after, assuming just your credentials will speak for themselves and guarantee you an interview or assuming that other people have seen how great you are and bring the jobs to you. You should never assume things like this when it comes to searching for a job.
If you want to tell people you’re looking for your next career progression, be more specific about what you’d like and what industries you’re looking at. Attend networking events where you can make new relevant contacts and ask about any jobs they may know about instead of assuming they will just fall into your lap. Write an excellent CV where you show off the best of yourself and how the results you’ve achieved in other roles benefitted the company instead of just seeming like a bunch of empty qualifications.
You’re not on the ball
Apart from waiting for jobs to come to you rather than making an effort to find them, there are other ways being lax can be the cause of why you’re missing out on a job. It may be that you don’t try to show the best of yourself at an interview and you hope that your weak spots simply won’t get mentioned, or you could just hope that people will find your LinkedIn profile and want to reach out to you.
If you feel that you’re being lazy at interview and are hoping to coast through without incident, learn how to conduct yourself correctly and know how to talk about your weaknesses and how you’ve proactively worked to improve them. We’ve got a whole article dedicated just to that dreaded question that can help you with this.
Don’t let your LinkedIn profile go to waste either, it can be an incredibly useful tool when looking for your next job. Keep it updated with your most recent roles and your key skills, if you’ve met interesting people at events send them a request and engage with posts that interest you or have been published by people you’d like to get to know.
You don’t differentiate
Not tailoring your applications to different jobs and companies is one of the easiest ways to miss out on an opportunity. While some debate if cover letters are becoming outdated, many jobs still request one, and sending a generic one is a guaranteed way to get your application ignored.
Cover letters are a chance to add a sense of humanity to your profile and you should make sure you address it to the correct person instead of just choosing a blanket ‘to whom it may concern’ or ‘dear Sir/Madam.’ This shows the hiring manager that you couldn’t be bothered to find out their details and if you’re not showing some get-up-and-go at this point, they won’t exactly hold out hope about you having the role.
Poor profile
This may be an obvious reason why you’re missing out on a job, but people still fail to make the most of their CV. Mistakes like poor grammar, bad layout and weird font choices can all send a recruiter reeling, and lacking relevant information or alternatively waffling on are easy ways to get a thumbs-down before they’ve made it past paragraph two. If you want to double checks what other mistake you could be making, we’ve got 5 of the worst ones right here.
If you still hate the job search and want to ease the stress then come speak to us, our team love to help great candidates find great jobs!