The job hunt can be stressful, particularly if you have been persisting for some time without any success. But try not to become disheartened by rejections or allow yourself to become too stressed. By allowing yourself a bit of down time in between your job search efforts and maintaining a positive outlook, your job hunt can be an all round better experience.
This infographic by Armstrong Appointments identifies some of the most common job hunting mistakes that people make, but you should really avoid doing.
Top Tips:
- Try not to pass the blame. You are responsible for you own job hunt, not other people. Be positive and take control of the situation.
- Don’t let it take over your life. As important as it is to take your time to tailor well thought out cover letters and job applications, you don’t want to spend 100% of your time doing it. Allow yourself some down time. Spend time with family, get some exercise and do things that you enjoy, or it is likely that it will leave you feeling stressed.
- Don’t take rejection personally. Just because one employer didn’t hire you, doesn’t mean that the right job for you isn’t waiting just around the corner. Take rejection as part of the process and learn from any feedback you are given from interviewers.
- Explore alternative sources. Searching online job boards is a good place to start your job search, however there are lots of other places you can look that are less competitive.
- Make your message clear. Employers don’t need to hear about every bit of experience you have, just that that you can apply to the job in hand and what you can bring to their company.
- Don’t apply for every single job. You may come across as desperate and lose focus. It’s better to spend your time on fewer but better thought out applications that you are really interested in.
- Don’t be afraid to assert yourself. Sometimes you need to do something to stand out.
- Remember that times change. If you’ve not been in the job market for a while, seek advice from someone who has. Familiarise yourself with the modern job market and how best to place yourself in it.
- Don’t take your eye off of competition. You need to set yourself out from the crowd. The job market is competitive, so you need to convince employers that you are a cut above the rest.
- Don’t do it alone. I wouldn’t recommend you share your job search with colleagues, but there shouldn’t be anything holding you back from discussing it with close friends and family. They may be able to help and can offer you the support you need.
RELATED: 7 Job Search Mistakes Every Applicant Should Stop Making
