The most common job search mistakes in a pandemic

Had you heard that more women’s jobs are affected by the pandemic than men?

More redundancies. More resignations. More likely to be taking on the mental load at home. Less likely to get promoted. Less likely to have their furlough salary topped up. 

Often women come to me because they’re having NO success in landing a job. They’re not getting interviews; or they’re not making the shortlist; or they’re not getting the job offers.

As we dig deeper, I figure out the mistakes they’re making.

Recognise any of these common job search mistakes in you?

• Incomplete LinkedIn headline that just tells me “Available immediately” without telling me WHO you are and WHAT you do.
• Nothing in your LinkedIn summary about your achievements or worse
• No summary at all. 
• No recommendations – or they’re very old and not relevant to your current role.
• You’re not visible on LinkedIn i.e. you’re not sharing content, posting, or writing articles.
• You’re not networking and engaging with others on LinkedIn. 
• You’re holding back from connecting with others. 
• Or you’re holding back from leveraging their network and asking for help because you don’t want to be seen as ‘manipulative’.
• You have no strategy. 
• You lack clarity in what you want from a job. 
• You aren’t really sure what your skills, strengths and values are, so you’re not applying for the roles that suit you best. 
• You have no idea what your personal brand says about you (and too scared to ask).
• You’re applying the scattergun approach to job hunting and applying for everything in the hope that something lands.
• You’re not focusing on one job application at a time.  
• You don’t put yourself forward for the senior roles because you’re scared you’ll get found out even if you have that same job title right now.
• You’re not letting your personality shine through in your cover letter. 
• You’re not coming across as passionate and enthusiastic in your job interview because you’re so nervous and anxious.
• You fluff up the online job interview because you just don’t get the tech or you haven’t prepped in advance.
• You’re coming across as desperate and that’s never attractive. 
• You spend all day job hunting and in real danger of job search burnout (yes it’s a thing).
• You’re scared to invest in you and your career even though you know a career coach could help you get the right job more quickly and more easily and with less stress.

So how do you avoid those job hunting common mistakes?

The first thing is to get crystal clear on your skills, strengths and experiences.

That gives you the confidence and courage to make the right decisions and take action.

And taking the right action is what gets you the right job search results.

In order to develop that confidence and courage, you also need to tackle the mindset blocks that are getting in your way and holding you back.

And that’s where my approach is very different. There are loads of CV and LinkedIn experts who’ll rewrite your CV and LinkedIn profile for you, and help you prep for a job interview.

For me, it’s not just the practical nitty gritty that you need.

It’s also about helping you deal with the mind monkeys so that you’re applying for the right jobs.

It’s about turning down that noisy inner critic in your head so that you stop sabotaging your own success.

It’s also about developing strategies to prioritise your self-care so you don’t burn out. 

There is no magic bullet. You need to do the work – whether it’s the practical stuff or the mindset stuff.

I just love helping women fix those job hunting mistakes. I do a little dance in my kitchen every time I get an email from a client telling me “I got the job”. And I’ve been doing a LOT of dancing recently, I’m pleased to say. 

Get Job Search Confidence today

But I can’t work with everybody one-to-one. That’s why I’m introducing my Job Search Confidence programme – to help you get a job you love with the work-life balance you need without wasting your time on pointless job applications.

You can find out more about the programme which starts on Monday 28 September right HERE.

And if you’re wondering whether it’s the right step for you to stop making those mistakes, let’s talk.

Book your Is it a good fit? call HERE.