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5 Mistakes You’re Making in Your Job Search (And How to Fix Them)

February 6, 2025 by Susan Paige

Credit: Mikhail Nilov via Pexels 

Your job search feels like an endless slog. You keep sending out resumes and filling out applications, and you still haven’t made any headway. Before you think of throwing in the towel, check to see whether you’re making any of these job search mistakes.

1. Keeping Your Job Search Too Private

A mistake you need to correct is treating your job search like it’s a big secret. Doing this means that you’re ignoring one of the best tools nestled in your professional toolbelt: your social network. 

 

Tapping into your social network can help you expand your pool of job opportunities, including opportunities that you wouldn’t find listed on sites like LinkedIn, Monster and Indeed. Your connections can also help your resume get to the top of the pile. Many employers will consider a staff member’s recommendation to be a good sign that you are a safe candidate for the role. 

 

So, reach out to connections in your social network and let them know that you’re in search of something new. Don’t just talk to your best friends and immediate family members. The Harvard Business Review recommends tapping into weaker social connections, like acquaintances, about job opportunities. HBR states that these types of connections are more likely to yield concrete results! 

 

Who is in your network?

  • Family members
  • Friends
  • Friends of friends
  • Old colleagues
  • Old classmates and teachers
  • Acquaintances from hobbies and activities outside of work
  • Social media connections 

 

What if your social circle still feels small? This is the perfect time to expand it. Start attending networking events like conferences, lectures and webinars so that you can shake hands and rub shoulders with experts in your field. One of these experts could end up being your future colleague. 

2. Ignoring Recruitment Agencies

Again, why are you trying to tackle a job search all on your own? A recruitment agency is the perfect job-hunting resource that’s conveniently available at your fingertips. By registering with an agency, you can increase your exposure on the job market. You’ll have access to job opportunities that aren’t even being advertised publicly. 

 

Job recruiters will do more than send your resume off to any company with an opening. A recruiter will select you for opportunities that you are qualified for, making sure that you stand a good chance of making it through the interview process and landing the job. 

 

Stop limiting your job search. Go to a top recruitment agency like IQ PARTNERS and upload your resume. This quick, simple task will expand the scope of your search and open you up to positions that you would never be able to find on your own. 

3. Submitting a Messy Resume

Your resume may look perfectly fine at a distance, but on closer inspection, it’s a real mess. It’s full of grammatical mistakes and typos. This sloppy mistake can get your resume discarded by hiring managers, even when you meet the job qualifications. 


Don’t send out your resume until you’ve cleaned it up. Run it through grammar editing software like Grammarly, QuillBot or Hemingway Editor. These software programs will proofread your resume and catch errors that you may have missed. 


Programs aren’t perfect. They can still miss mistakes. So, make sure that you get a pair of human eyes on your resume, too. Ask a friend or a mentor to go over your edited resume to see whether they can spot anything that’s slipped past you and the software. 

4. Keeping Your Job Search Too Limited

You’re only searching for a specific role in a specific industry. Unless you have an incredibly niche skill set, you shouldn’t limit your job search. It’s very likely that your current skills are transferable to other types of roles and industries. You should be casting a wider net to improve your chances of finding lucrative opportunities. 

 

How can you broaden your search? Go to the job listings in databases like LinkedIn and Indeed. Instead of inserting a job role or industry into the search bar, type in one of your skills. You might be surprised by the results. 

5. Not Preparing for Interviews

Your resume has gotten enough attention from employers that you’ve managed to book a few interviews. The only problem is that you’re not doing so well when it comes time to do those interviews. You stumble and stammer your way through the process, and you can’t seem to answer basic questions like “What are your strengths?” and “What made you apply for this role?”. 

 

You can’t have a “just wing it” attitude when you’re doing interviews. You need to prepare. Start by doing research on the employer that you’ll be meeting with. Go through the company website and social media to get a clear understanding of the workspace. If you have trouble remembering small details, write them down. Don’t be afraid to take notes!

 

Then, prepare answers for common interview questions ahead of time. You can practice delivering them so that they feel like second nature when you sit down for the interview. Come up with your own questions for the interviewer. This shows professional initiative and engagement.

 

These are some examples of questions you can pose to your interviewer:

  • What is the onboarding process like for this role?
  • What are the opportunities for growth in the company?
  • How has the company changed over the past few years?
  • What is your favourite part about working for this company?
  • What is a challenge that I may face in this role?


Finally, apply feedback from previous interviews. Listening to feedback from an employer that didn’t choose you can help you land your next job. This is one of the benefits of working with a professional recruitment agency. Recruiters debrief candidates who didn’t get the offers, giving them essential feedback to work on for their next job opportunity. 


These five mistakes could be sabotaging your job search. Follow these tips to fix them right away. You’re bound to get better results.

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