Searching for the right job in a sea of online job sites can be overwhelming. But, if you just started your online job search, don’t be overly eager to spam your resume to every job posting you see online. Or else, you could be wasting your time in an inefficient job search journey. Whether you’re a fresh graduate searching for your first job, or an experienced professional looking for a career change, it’s crucial to stay ahead of your job search and avoid these job search mistakes at all cost. You don’t want your resume to end up in the “rejected” pile over some avoidable mistakes.
1. Careless typos or grammatical mistakes
Most job seekers tend to overlook these types of mistakes when applying for jobs. Even though they seem insignificant but employers see them as a warning sign. Why? It shows your lack of seriousness in your job search as well as the lack of meticulousness in general. Don’t let these errors ruin your chance of getting a job interview opportunity.
How to fix it: Spend some time to proofread everything you’re about to send to the potential employers, including the email content. To be safe, ask your friends or family to look it over again to make sure there is zero error.
2. Apply for jobs you aren’t qualified for
This is also another common online job search mistake made by many job seekers. They just skim and scan through job postings online without paying much attention to the job description before applying. You are wasting not only your time, but also the employer’s time to review your application. While it’s good to send applications to multiple companies, but make sure that you only apply to those you are genuinely interested.
How to fix it: Read the job description carefully and see how relevant the role is to your current skill set. Don’t just apply based on the generic job title because the job description might be vastly different depends on the company’s needs.
3. Only using the major job sites
The popular job sites may have more job postings, but searching for the right job on overly cluttered job sites might not necessarily be efficient. You’ll end up spending more time browsing a long list of relevant jobs which could be counterproductive to your job search.
How to fix it: Focus on job sites such as Bossjob that can provide features such as direct chat with employers and customizable job preferences to make your job search more efficient. It’s important to set your job preferences accurately so that you don’t waste time looking at irrelevant jobs. Plus, you can expand your search to niche job sites that are related to your industry. Don’t forget to narrow your search by utilizing the filter options.
4. Not maintaining an online presence
As much as you think online social networking is too overrated, it’s common for employers nowadays to check out the candidates’ social media profiles. It’s not over exaggerating to say that you should market yourself like a brand to stand out from the crowd these days. The job market is tough and it takes a lot more to be noticeable by the potential employers.
How to fix it: Create and keep your profile on job sites updated whenever you gained a new skill or achievements. By keeping track of your career progress and have an online job profile, you can save yourself from creating a resume from scratch.
5. Lack of research on job search tips
With so many career guide blogs online nowadays, it’s easy to get useful tips to help with your job search or interview. It’s also important to know what the current hiring trends are and the qualities most employers look for when they’re hiring. For example, you might think that sending a follow-up email to the hiring manager is intrusive, but the truth is that many of them actually appreciate it. There is no harm in keeping yourself informed and see if you missed out on anything.
How to fix it: Do your own research and read up on articles related to job search or interview tips while searching for jobs online. Jot down any useful advice or tips so that you can refer to them anytime.
Find these tips useful? We have more career advice, workplace tips, and job search tips on our blog. Don’t forget to check them out!
