By 
If you’ve been looking for a job with no success, it’s probably not your professional skills that are at fault, but your job-hunting skills.
Physicians are taught to treat patients, diagnose symptoms, and cure diseases but they aren’t taught the dynamics of finding the right position to enable them to perform these tasks.
Could you be guilty of these seven ways to bomb a job search?
If you identify with any of these, follow the suggestions on how to rectify these pitfalls.
Table of Contents
1. Failing to Update Your Profiles
Many times when you apply for a job, the headhunter will do a virtual background check on you. Basically, they just check your online presence to see if you are professional.
To ensure that they like what they find, you need to brush up your online profiles (or create one if you don’t have it.)
Anyone who is job searching should already be taking advantage of Indeed.com but if you aren’t yet, now is the time. Post a professional picture, write a short but powerful bio, and then list your accomplishments.
It’s also a good idea to connect with others in your industry but we’ll get to that later in point #4.
Next, take a look at your personal social profiles and make sure they won’t kill your reputation.
Today, much less time is spent face-to-face with a potential employer. To get your foot in the door, your online presence needs to be spotless and showcase your abilities.
2. Lack of Preparation Before an Interview
You got called in for an interview. Fantastic. But you can’t just stroll in there if you want to have a chance at actually getting the job.
You need to prepare before every interview. How?
It involves anticipating what kind of questions you’ll be asked and making sure you know a little about the company you’ll be talking to. This article will tell you lots more.
3. Applying for Jobs Over or Under Your Value
When searching for jobs, no doubt compensation is a factor in our criteria. We should be aware of our market value.
Research the going rate for someone in your profession with the experience and certifications you have in your area.
Now you have a bit more leverage when searching for a job that pays a fair wage and also, which jobs might be a bit over your head or a waste of your time.
4. Forgetting the Importance of Networking
When finding a good job, sometimes it’s not what you know but who you know that will give you a chance.
Most professions have a measure of competition when applying for jobs and many positions are never even advertised. Having a wide circle of networking can help you be the first to know of an upcoming opportunity.
Remember your Indeed.com profile we spoke of earlier? You should be using that profile to connect with leaders and peers in your industry.
LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are three other sites that you can use to network. Don’t forget the traditional face-to-face method as well. Attend conventions and participate in professional groups.
5. You Have a Bland Resume
We can’t all be writers but when writing our resume, no energy or expense should be spared if you want your resume to make it to the top of the stack.
Your resume should be concise, typo-free, and include only relevant accomplishments and skills.
It’s also important to know that you shouldn’t deliver the same cookie-cutter resume for each job. Each job should have a tailor-made resume that will speak to that particular company and position.
6. Becoming Stale
It doesn’t matter what industry you work in, technology and techniques are always evolving. To continue to be of value, you need to keep up with these areas.
You should never stop learning and keeping up to date with the latest developments that are relevant to your career.
If you lack the knowledge of the newest skills for your job, you won’t be anyone’s first pick for the position.
7. Waiting for the Job to Come to You
As already stated, so many job positions aren’t advertised on job sites. You can sign up for a feed from as many job sites as you want and still miss out on so many job opportunities.
Instead, proactively search for jobs from company’s that you would consider a great place to work.
All it takes is a courteous email to their HR department requesting information on any positions needing to be filled and boom! You’re in the know.
Conclusion
Job hunting can be difficult and you may feel like the odds are against you but if you aren’t making any of the above mistakes, you’ll find that you are given many more opportunities.
If you persevere and look in the right places, you’ll find your dream job. Don’t give up!
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