With the new year come plenty of opportunities to get your job search right. This is what you shouldn’t do during your job search in 2018.
Allude to your age
Don’t give anyone a reason to doubt your skills. Peter Economy, a ghostwriter and author, writes in Inc. that you should not include “age identifiers” on your resume or LinkedIn page. “Don’t list those positions you had a long time ago, and leave off graduation dates,” he writes. “Age discrimination does exist, and you at least want to get your foot in the door for an interview so they can see how awesome you are at creating age-irrelevance.”
Fail to be your own champion
Marcello Barros, author of The International Advantage: Get Noticed. Get Hired!, writes about this in The Muse. “Some people spend precious emotional energy assuring themselves that the hunt is taking as long as it is because they simply aren’t good enough,” he writes. “And when you stop believing in yourself, you’re in trouble. Don’t rush into a decision like taking a position you feel uneasy about or heading back to school simply out of fear. Instead remind yourself of all the reasons you might not be getting a call back that have nothing to do with you (like if you’ve been applying to roles you truly aren’t qualified for).”
Be too narrow in your job search
You may not even realize that you’re limiting your options. A FlexJobs post says that “job searching only by job title” is not the way to go. “While you may identify with a specific title, each employer can have a different title for the same job duties. When you focus only on job titles, you narrow your search too closely and may miss opportunities that would be a perfect match for your experience. Instead of focusing on the job title, consider searching by industry and desired flexibility. You can also use keywords or search by company,” it says.
Fail to do your homework
You’ll want to know as much as possible. Lillian Childress writes on Glassdoor that “skipping your research” is not a good idea. “A well-informed candidate is always preferable to the alternative. Asking questions about your specific interests in the company, and even just asking general questions about what the company does, are some of the most common interview questions out there. If you haven’t done your research, it’s ultimately a waste — not only of the recruiter’s time, but also of your own,” she writes.
Not get back in touch after an interview
Alison Doyle, a career expert, author, and founder and CEO of CareerToolBelt.com, writes in The Balance that you shouldn’t be “forgetting to follow up.” “Following up after a job interview gives you one more chance to make a good impression,” she writes. “People like to be appreciated and a quick thank you note, email or phone call is a good way to show you appreciate the time and the opportunity. Following up also gives you a chance to mention anything you wish you had said during the interview.”