Job Search Mistakes Fresh Graduates Make And How To Avoid Them
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Job Search Mistakes Fresh Graduates Make And How To Avoid Them

Do you know that 55% of recruiters have complained about a common mistake among fresh graduates and job seekers? Continue reading this article to find out what the common mistakes are and how to avoid them to be able to ace your next interview.

According to 55% of recruiters, one of the most common mistakes fresh graduates make is not tailoring their resume to the specific job they’re applying for. Another common mistake recorded by 50% of recruiters is, that fresh graduates make too many grammatical errors in their resumes.

So if this is you, whether a fresh graduate or not, this post is for you.

Common Mistakes Made By Fresh Graduates

The prevalent mistakes made by fresh graduates or job seekers include;

1. Starting From The Top

Applying at big corporations and firms with little or no knowledge and technical know-how. They underestimate the power of start-ups or smaller companies.

2. Undefined Resume

Ensure that your CV/resume is tailored to the job you are applying for. This is one grave mistake job seekers make, sending in a generic resume that doesn’t tell much about their skills and knowledge acquired that is related to the job. So, make sure to customize your CV to the job role, highlighting your strongest skills and achievements.

3. No Strong Online Presence

Not having an online presence or having an unprofessional online presence can become a hindrance to you. Start building on professional platforms to gain a competitive advantage over other applicants. These platforms are good for building your personal brand

  • LinkedIn
  • Medium (for writers)
  • Twitter (now called X)
  • GitHub or Stack Overflow (for Developers)
  • ResearchGate (for Researchers) etc

Start building your online presence and be consistent with it. Most recruiters evaluate your online persona before considering you for the job.

4. Grammatical Errors On Resumes

No matter how tiny, mistakes will always be a big turn-off to recruiters and this also goes on to show that you aren’t detail-oriented nor can you work effectively. Check for grammatical errors, typo errors, spelling, and all that to make sure your resume is in the best form – without any single error.

5. Didn’t Research

Not researching the company demonstrates that you are not proactive and also you do not have the enthusiasm to work with them, even if you do. Do background research about the company and the role before the interview as this would help you communicate better with your interviewer. Additionally, researching the company can help you realize whether or not you want to work there because you will find out their values, work ethics, salaries, and so on.

Additionally, Asking Irrelevant Questions. The type of questions you’re expected to ask are

1. About the short-term and long-term goals of the company

2. The project the company is working on and how you can assist

3. The significance of your job role to the company.

4. Growth opportunities available to the employees

5. Challenges facing the organization and how you can be helpful.


Now, instead of asking questions along this line, fresh graduates often ask about lunch breaks, quick promotions, vacations, and salary increase. All these come off as you being nonchalant, uncommitted, or lacking initiative.

Recommended Video: Watch this video for more insight on this topic

Conclusion

This is a pointer for many fresh graduates to ensure that they tailor their resume to the specific job they’re applying for and also maintain a strong online presence. In addition, we have written several articles related to job search and interviews, you can go through them to gain more insight. Finally, applying all the points listed here will guide you in getting your dream job.

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