3 mistakes to avoid while searching for a job

Despite all the hard work, what is stopping you from getting that dream job offer?

Read on to know where you are going wrong and what you can do to improve your prospects.

Your job has become repetitive or you are not getting the kind of appreciation and appraisal at work.

The reason could be anything but it’s a tried and tested fact that if your heart is not in the job, every single day is a burden.

Following the same old methods and approach for Job search in this tech savvy, everyday changing world will only extend the duration of your job search.

Here are some things that you need to stop doing today to make sure you get closer to your dream job.

Mistake #1: Relying only on job portals

Searching on job portals is a great way to start, but that is not enough.

Gone are the days when employers used to contact job seekers.

Today, they post vacancies on social media portals and the rest is up to the job seekers.

Rohit Ahlawat, senior HR at AdGlobal360 has been successfully sourcing people from LinkedIn, Facebook and through job portals.

According to him, "We get a good response from these platforms. It also gives us a chance to understand the candidate better as his/her whole career snapshot and personality is available to us. This also reduces our efforts in doing background research on the candidate."

Apart from this, networking with the right kind of people extensively will help you increase your chances many folds.

Select all the contacts in your e-mail as well as phonebook (excluding your boss, that is) and send them an e-mail/message asking to refer you in their respective organisations.

You can also make new connections on LinkedIn, attend meet-ups, follow HRs on Twitter and share your job search on various groups on Facebook.

Who knows your dream job might be just a comment away.

Mistake #2: Making one resume for all the jobs that you are applying for

Every organisation has a different vision, culture and expectations from their future employees.

The next time you do not get a callback even after a good interview, just have a good look at your resume; maybe that’s where the problem is.

The roles, values and skills should match the job description, (this does not mean that you simply copy everything from the JD in your resume) the hard work that you put into small things like these have two benefits:

a) It prepares you for the interview as you read the JD many times and by the end you have enough information to clear that interview.

b) It creates an excellent first impression on the HR. Your homework shows how serious you are for the job and the organisation, thus increasing your chances of selection.

Mistake #3: Waiting for the interviewer to get back to you

According to a survey by online job-matching service The Ladders, 75 percent of interviewers said that receiving a Thank You letter from a candidate affects their decision-making process.

Organisations often take some time to analyse an individual before making the job offer.

A well-crafted follow up e-mail always gives you an edge over other interviewees.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com