Editor’s note: This article was first published in December 2013, amid high unemployment in Spain; remarks such as “nowadays” and “at least today” reflect that job market.
If you’re looking for a job, there’s a good chance you’re making some of the mistakes listed below, mistakes that perhaps have more to do with the desperation of waiting for a job that’s slow to come.
1. Following lots of advice from lots of people
The amount of information we can find online is overwhelming. Much of the advice contradicts itself, some of it divides recruitment professionals themselves, and some of it I consider very harmful to your professional image and your chances of getting through the job interview.
Always start from the premise that there is no universal advice in job hunting, because it depends on your personal situation, the company in question and the person interviewing you. That said, remember that there are 5 reasons why you’re likely to end up being hired.
2. Trying to read every move the interviewer makes
Closely linked to the previous point: it’s a good idea to pay attention to body language and analyse where we’re going wrong, but the desperation to find a job means some people end up paying more attention to the interviewer’s signals than to the signals they themselves are sending, hunting for small clues about their chances in the interviewer’s body language. “When he leaned back in his chair… was I boring him? He said it was nice to meet me while scratching his nose… was he lying? When he said he had more people to interview, was he fobbing me off?…”
If you try to over-analyse all this information (especially in real time), you can end up driving yourself crazy. Remember these 9 body language mistakes.
3. Thinking you have the job before you have it
Sometimes candidates see good signs in how the interview went, and other times they want to see them. Either way, you haven’t got anything until you sign the contract. I understand that many people try to cling to that hope, which later leads to an even bigger disappointment. Having a positive mindset means having hopes, not inventing them.
4. Taking the outcome personally
The best-qualified person for a given job may well not end up being hired if there were 500 other candidates. Many active job seekers have heard the word NO 276 times, and they often come to take it personally. Some imagine elaborate corporate conspiracies that rarely exist. Professionals with 15 years of experience feel insulted when they are turned down by a 27-year-old executive. That attitude does you no good. Today, looking for a job is like a game of chance: all we can do is use the best techniques possible to tilt the odds in our favour.
5. Getting what you were looking for
It may sound strange, but one of the biggest mistakes you can make in your job search is getting the job. Let me explain. Some people are so anxious to land the job that they try to pass the interviewer’s evaluation at all costs, but forget to evaluate whether the terms of the job really suit them. In other words, some people set out looking for a job and end up accepting charity.
6. All the other mistakes
We have identified many other mistakes linked to “job desperation”. Some people give away too much information about trivial things in order to seem friendlier and more outgoing, two traits that are valued today. What they don’t realise is that they’re forcing the situation and may come across as too chatty or nervous.
Cover letters keep turning up with messages like “I’m willing to do anything to work for your company”, or simply begging for a job. We insist: an appeal to charity may break a few hearts, but it doesn’t open doors to employment (at least not today).
And of course, people still make the mistake of leaving out the cover letter.
Finally… although we know it’s very hard to stay composed after sending dozens of CVs to thousands of companies and going through hundreds of failed interviews, remember that you should approach your next interview as if it were your first.
In sales, a new prospect should never pay for, or even notice, the fatigue other customers have caused you. Every customer is a new opportunity. Don’t forget that when you go to a job interview, you’re not an applicant for a position. You’re a salesperson, and the product is you. So don’t beg or plead… offer and negotiate.
Further reading
Featured image: Flazingo Photos, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
