Job search has become a whole job in itself these days & the competition is fast becoming stiff for very limited available roles. We’ve compiled a short list of habits to avoid when next you’re in search season either looking for a new or switching across industry lines.
❌ Quality over Quantity — Many job seekers are fond of jumping on every opportunity they find as long as it is along their field of work or experience. This might not be bad but this could be very harmful mostly because you’re unable to put in your very best into the application, the cover letter and every necessary document you need to show off to the process when you are submitting 10s of applications weekly. If you must do multiple applications, keep it as low as possible (2 or 3 at the most) so you can tailor your application to the job you’re applying to.
❌ Prioritize less saturated industries over the more saturated — When a job market is saturated, your biggest challenge will be to stand out among the competition & best believe, it’ll be very stiff competition. There are several industries such as tech and finance where the competition is tougher whereas there are other industries such as healthcare and agriculture where job seekers are likely to face less fierce competition. If you’re looking to gain a quicker solution to settling your job search, focus your efforts on less saturated industries.
❌ Avoid Bandwagon applications — Just like the previous point on saturated & unsaturated industries, “bandwagon applications” are those applications you make because that’s where most people are applying to. For instance, channeling your attention in your job search to saturated industries like tech, finance can be very excruciating & tiring whereas your attention could have been invested into the less saturated, lesser attention industries where you can gain more visibility easily. Even when your experience level is on the high side, you stand a higher chance to securing a role in a less saturated industry than in one.
❌ Don’t neglect quick follow up — Typically your follow up should be within 5–7 working days from when you had the interview should they fail to reach out to you, this is because most recruiters want to close out their interview process before reaching out to selected candidates & depending on the nature of the industry (saturated or unsaturated), this process can take a really long time. So for instance, if you had your interview on a Wednesday, your follow up should be by the next Wednesday, Thursday or Friday at the latest.
Which other tip do you know that job seekers should avoid when job searching? Do share them in the comment section for us to also learn from your knowledge.
