Let’s say you’ve been looking through all the vacancies Jobstoday has to offer and despite applying for almost all of them, you’re just not getting anywhere. It probably isn’t because there’s no job out there for you, it’s because you haven’t found it yet and you’re sabotaging your job search success.
Not tailoring your cover letter
You can probably get away with a generic CV but your cover letter is where you should be tailoring your skills and experience to the job in question.
Talk about how your fantastic communication skills relate to the customers you’ll be speaking to in that retail role. Or how your experience with social media can help when it comes to a position with a digital marketing agency.
Your social media lets you down
If someone likes your CV, the first thing they’re going to do before they invite you in for an interview is Google you and it’s most likely to be your social channels that come up first.
Make sure there’s nothing you’ll regret on those social channels. If you’re worried about what potential employers are seeing, make all your social profiles private. The other option is to keep your opinions to yourself and make sure there aren’t too many photos of you getting drunk out there on the internet.
Not all employers will care about this but it’s best to be better safe than sorry.
You’re not showing off your achievements
Instead of simply listing the things you’ve done in your career this far, remember to show off your achievements in both your CV and cover letter. Did you increase conversion through clever website copy? Did you help to build one of the most impressive buildings in your city? If yes, shout about it.
Not trying anything new
So, you’ve applied for 20 very similar jobs but you’ve not heard anything from those employers. Perhaps it’s time to try something new or maybe even start applying for different jobs.
Don’t get stuck in a rut. Mix up your CV, create a website that acts as an online portfolio or perhaps even consider a video CV. These things can make you stand out over other candidates and will at least get you looked at when an employer is faced with a very large pile of CVs.
Not looking in the right places
Your first stop should be job sites, these are the easiest ways to find a lot of jobs in your area and to apply for them en masse. However, not all businesses have the time to sign up to job sites and for the smaller ones, it isn’t always necessary.
If there are some companies you’d love to work for, check their websites as they might list their vacancies on a careers page before they even hit the mainstream sites.
Similarly, if you have a particular speciality, it might be worth looking at websites and agencies that deal with your industry alone.
I tailor my CV to each job. Emphasise areas which are applicable to the job. I would recommend being on Linkedin and having a professional up to date profile. Preferably ask for a few recommendations too. This will be the first stop for most recruiters to look at who you are and what you’ve done; probably before you walk into the interview. They’re also then less likely to look up Facebook, Twitter etc.
My biggest tip though is to not apply for a ‘job’ at all. Think of the companies you want to work for, find out a key employee (Linkedin is good for this if you don’t know someone in your network) and email your CV with a covering email introducing yourself, what you’re looking for etc. Trust me, this works. Even if they don’t have a job now, they may keep your details for the future. Where I work now did that and I got the job approx 4 years after I first approached them. Think about it, recruitment is expensive; 20-30% of a year’s salary. Yes, a YEAR! Your average company is far more likely to think “ok, this person looks good, if they interview well, let’s give them a go.” What’s even better is that you may then have no competition.
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