6 Bad Habits That Are Destroying Your Job Hunt

As a millennial job seeker, the challenges faced by you are manifold. Increased competition in a tougher job market, difficulty in getting your applications noticed, lack of transparency in the hiring process, and a lot many other obstacles that get in the way of great opportunities. But one of the biggest challenges you will face as a job seeker is yourself. And the habits that sabotage your chances of landing your dream job. In this article, we’ll talk about the 6 most common ways in which your habits could be potentially damaging your job hunt: 

1. You invest less time & effort in finding the right job

Finding the right job is a long, complex process that requires a lot of time and resources from your end. And the process doesn’t end in finding the right job position – you have to assess if you would be a good fit for the organisation. 

According to recruiters, cultural fit is crucial in hiring professionals who flourish in their new roles and drive success for organizations. Increase your chances of getting hired by investing more time in finding the right job at the right organisation. 

Want to learn more about how to determine if you’re a great fit for any organisation? Here are 4 easy ways to do so.

2. You give in to negativity

Your job applications more often than not, turn out to be a subtle reflection of your thoughts. So pay attention to your patterns of thought and general outlook towards your job hunt.

From writing a cover letter lacking energy to pre-determining that you have no chance of getting hired by an organization (based on previous job hunt experiences), negativity can totally ruin your job hunt and stop you from grabbing those exciting opportunities lying in wait for you. 

One way to tackle this is to bring a positive turn to your thought process. For instance, if you have good reason to believe that a hiring manager won’t be contacting you for a certain job, you could start by taking action to tackle the issue at hand, and take steps that you believe could improve your chances of getting selected (say, a more focused cover letter could increase your chances. Or that applying would be a great learning experience in itself).

3. You are unprepared 

One common mistake that candidates commit often is to treat an interview like an unexpected conversation with a stranger – you don’t prepare for it. Any interviewer who’s experienced, will notice your lack of preparation. And that doesn’t help your chances of getting hired. 

So prepare. Have a clear strategy as to how you want to showcase yourself and your experience. Prepare questions that you want to ask the interviewer, including the ones that’ll also help you determine if you’re the right cultural fit for the organization.

4. You skip the ‘Social Media Audit’

You don’t want to apply for jobs before cleaning up your social media presence – recruiters often use social media to check and screen candidates. It acts as a window to who you are outside of your professional world, which in turn, helps in determining whether you would be a good fit for the organization’s culture.

So make sure you haven’t posted anything inappropriate that could act as a red flag against hiring you.

5. You are too informal (and unprofessional)

Being unprofessional is the single biggest factor to stop you from landing a job. While a lot of interviews are now being conducted remotely, that doesn’t change how you prepare and present yourself in front of the camera. 

Not preparing enough for your interview (including testing your remote interview equipment, selecting the right setting, researching about your potential employers), choosing a tone that’s too casual and inappropriate for the occasion, not dressing appropriately for the interview, not listening to/ interrupting the interviewer are some of the many ways you can portray yourself as unprofessional. These issues can be easily tackled. For instance, if you’ve a remote interview lined up soon, here are some best practices to help you present the best version of yourself.

6. You forget to follow up

A simple follow-up email can do wonders for your job search. Remember – there are thousands of applications out there for a single job, and not following up isn’t helping you in any way. A follow up email reaffirms that you’re still interested in the job and creates a positive impression.

That being said, make sure to not overdo it and bombard the recruiter’s inbox with your follow up emails- this can be a big turnoff and damage any chances that you may have had of landing the job.

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