Job Hunting Secrets - Why Most Job Seekers Fail to Get Their Desired Jobs

Posted by Ogugua Belonwu on February 27th, 2018

Introduction

Job Hunting according to Wikipedia is “the act of looking for employment, due to unemployment, underemployment, discontent with a current position, or a desire for a better position. The immediate goal of job-seeking is usually to obtain a job interview with an employer which may lead to getting hired”. From the definition given above, one can easily conclude that there are thus a lot of people engaging in job hunting either actively as unemployed people or passively as underemployed people.

Since Job-Hunters are prevalent in our society today, it thus means that there must be some reasons why some people succeed in getting their desired jobs and some reasons also why others fail to do. Most job-seekers are quick to say that they have applied for tens or even hundreds of jobs without any positive results, but they have however failed to ask for the secrets to success in job-hunting from those who have succeeded in it.  

Some job-seekers who even have great academic achievements, and sometimes impressive experiences still fail to get that desired job - much more those without. One may now want to ask why then do most people still fail to get their desired jobs? The answers might surprise you.

Below are some of the major reasons why most job-seekers fail to get their desired jobs;

1. Applying for a Job you know you are not qualified for

First thing first, not all the jobs advertised are meant for you. The earlier you understand this simple truth, the easier it’s gonna be when job-searching. Imagine that you are an Accountant with two years of experience, and you went ahead to apply for the position of a senior android developer with eight years of experience. You should be sure of the outcome. It’s going to come out negative. In the pursuit of trying to get your desired job, you should apply for jobs that you are qualified for or the ones you know you are close to. Applying randomly for any job that comes your way is just giving yourself unnecessary stress that you would have saved and use to focus on a few.

2. Failing to Follow the Instructions in the Application Process

Instructions have always been important and will keep still being important. Many job-seekers fail to get that dream job sometimes because of one or two instructions they probably disobeyed in the course of the application process. For example, if the requirements state that you submit a CV in PDF format, simply submit with the specified format. There is no trial and error or guess-work here. If you use the wrong format, you will not be contacted. Thus, whether you are going to get to the next stage can be predicted based on the instructions you followed or decided not to in the application stage.

3. Lack of Enthusiasm

Some job-seekers are too cold when expressing their intent to recruiters. They lack enthusiasm in everything as regarding their application. No show of passion or interest via their choice of words on the CV or cover letter that is beyond the norm or cliché. Some don’t even show that needed enthusiasm when they go for an interview. If you want to be considered by the recruiter at the expense of the other candidates in the large pool, you sure have to be able to demonstrate at least an above average interest and enthusiasm in the position – or even far more than other applicants.

4. Poor Appearance in an Interview

A job interview is not a casual event. It’s not a religious service or ceremonial meeting where you can decide to put on whatever comes to your mind. You must follow the professional dress codes. Don’t appear like you are going for thanksgiving service or a wedding party – be corporately dressed. This can never be overemphasized. Often than not, a good dress/outfit gives a positive impression about you. And the impact of a first impression can be really significant. Wear professional colours of suits like Black, Navy Blue or Grey. You don’t need red or green like you are going to a dancing festival. Dress properly!

5. Failure to Practice Common Courtesy

This is a major reason why many job-seekers fail to get that job. As simple as common courtesies such as a “Hi”, a “Good Morning or other forms of pleasantry are, they are very powerful. Not greeting the receptionist who received you or the recruiter who interviewed you can sometimes make them have a negative impression of you. This is particularly important if pleasantries are part of the core attribute in their corporate culture. Just a “Hi” can just do the magic. It tells a lot about your attitude.

6. Inability to Sell Yourself

Some job-seekers who may have an impressive academic background or an amazing CV in general, still fail to sell themselves to the interviewer. You are competing with a large pool of other candidates out there, your CV may just be the foundation but not give it that finishing work. You need to be able to tell the interviewer what you can do, what skills you have and how can you can bring such skills to bear in the organization. Otherwise what you have on your CV will just remain theories.

7. Speaking Bad of Previous Employers

It is never perceived as a good omen to speak ill about your previous employer(s). Many job-seekers however do not recognize this yet. No matter how bad your experience may be in your previous place of work, wisdom demands that you paint a good picture of that organization to your interviewer when asked about it. If you speak ill against the former organization, your interviewer can easily conclude that you will do same when you leave his organization. That is why it’s always advisable you try as much as possible to leave a place of work with everything aright. That way you will even have lots of good things to say about your previous employer when asked. In cases where you couldn’t help but leave with one issue or the other, you should speak of the positive parts to your interviewer rather than the negative ones.

8. Show of Unprofessionalism

Many job seekers do not know how to comport themselves when they are invited for interviews. Inability to show a high sense of professionalism before, during or after an interview has robbed many job-seekers from landing their dream jobs. For example, things that are not in any way related to your purpose of coming there shouldn’t be discussed or brought up. You should be strictly professional. It speaks well of you.

9. Focus on the Salary Alone

While a good pay is very vital in accepting a job offer, some job-seekers however make this the only factor to consider or their topmost priority. This ought not to be so. Even in cases where that by all indication is your main reason for considering that firm, courtesy demands that you shouldn’t place so much emphasis on it during an interview. If you do, you might be seen as one who is only focused on the money and may leave immediately you get a better offer. Because of this attitude, many job-seekers have not been able to land that dream job.

Conclusion

So while all that was said above are the reasons why most job-seekers don’t get their desired jobs, it’s however also important to state that some job-seekers do not even go about their job-searching using the right approach. You can’t be looking for the job of an engineer and you are searching for where there are jobs for bankers. So if you are looking for the best jobs in Nigeria or elsewhere, where you can easily filter jobs that match your qualification, then you might have to come across hundreds of platforms. You then pick the one(s) that fit(s) your desired job opportunities or allow you surf for it conveniently.

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Ogugua Belonwu

About the Author

Ogugua Belonwu
Joined: February 19th, 2018
Articles Posted: 1