7 Common Mistakes Made By Job Seekers

As a manager that regularly interviews applicants, I have noticed that normally intelligent and qualified job seekers often make obvious mistakes that effectively eliminate their chances for employment. Although my experience with hiring job seekers is limited when compared to the experience of seasoned HR managers and recruiters, I believe that I have gathered some valuable insights to share with the throngs of job seekers peddling resumes and pounding the pavement. Here are 7 common mistakes to avoid when applying for your dream job.

1. Be honest. Hiring managers are experts in the field you are seeking employment. Don’t exaggerate truths. Don’t act like you have a skill or understand a concept that you are unfamiliar with. We smell falsehoods like spoiled fish. Also, we read hundreds of resumes and have an uncanny ability to detect half-truths.

2. Don’t get stuck on salary. A common myth is that you need to request a higher salary than you actually expect and negotiate your way to a reasonable salary. Hiring managers are not only looking for good people, they are looking to keep people onboard and reduce turnover. A good manager will not low-ball you on salary if they know you are qualified. You can always reject a low offer and if you are desirable as a candidate, the manager will always follow-up and potentially increase the offer. In addition, you can always prove your value as an employee at a lower salary and request a higher salary once you are a necessary asset to the company.

3. Emphasize character through experience. Use your professional experience to demonstrate character rather than expertise. Every company is unique and you will always need to learn new procedures, overcome obstacles and assume different responsibilities. Talk about your ability to learn, work well with others and strong work ethic. These are universal selling points that give you value in any job environment.

4. Tell a story with your resume. One of the most common mistakes in resume writing is failing to tell a story. Your work experience, educational background and hobbies/interests need to become a cohesive message. If necessary, leave out work experience and skills that are unrelated to the story you are attempting to tell. For example, a fresh college grad applying for a position in marketing would include their involvement in the marketing and advertising club on campus and the summer internship they completed, but exclude their work experience at the local diner. The diner experience draws attention away main story of a young professional striving to become a successful marketer.

5. Do your research. When I find myself explaining what my company does to an applicant for the nth time, n being equal to the sum of applicants that have irresponsibly failed to research the position they were interviewing for, I can’t help but feel a little perturbed. How do you expect to be taken seriously if you have no idea what you are getting into? Researching the company you apply for is a common tip given out in college, but after interviewing a few dozen applicants who apparently didn’t get the memo I felt it necessary to include in this list.

6. Be prepared. Speak up. Slow down. Practice speaking. Coach yourself through different scenarios and be prepared to answer any question in a thorough and concise manner. This way you can be confident and avoid mumbling or speaking in a nervous whisper. Your interviewer is not going to eat you! They just need to know more about you. Also, avoid speaking too fast. If you are chattering at the speed of light, you will appear nervous rather than confident.

7. Show personality. Don’t be afraid to talk briefly about your hobbies and interests. It is well known that interviewing managers like to hire people who are similar to them in personality and interests. You need sell yourself! Of course avoid sharing hobbies or interests that can be potentially offensive or strange. Translation? Talking about your collection of human hair might not be a good idea. Stick to interests or hobbies that you think will be shared with the person interviewing you.

Landing your dream job isn’t easy in today’s competitive market, but opportunity presents itself to those that are diligent and determined. Good luck and happy hunting!

Samuel Nam is the search marketing manager of Online Printing Company, UPrinting.com.