Jumping over common job-hunting hurdles

Jumping over common job-hunting hurdles

Job hunting can be time-consuming, and frustrating. It’s not always straightforward and hurdles often pop up here, there, and everywhere.

While some hurdles are beyond your control, others are within your control. The key is to learn how to get over the hurdles while staying positive and not losing your motivation.

Our recruitment experts have compiled common hurdles some jobseekers face and provide suggestions on jumping right over them.

Confused over where to start

Looking for work can be overwhelming. There’s much to consider—researching, writing great application material, preparing for interviews, waiting for feedback, and more. Today’s competitive market can be tough.

How to get over this hurdle

Make a detailed list of what you need to do. Don’t be intimidated by the length of the list. Instead, shift your mindset and focus on achieving one item at a time without rushing. You’ll get there.

You might, for example, spend a day just researching job opportunities. The next day you might focus solely on writing a great resume. Then you might devote time to reading about interview techniques, and so on.

Searching with focus

One hurdle many jobseekers face is deciding what job type they want and in what industry. This is especially important if you want to change career gears. Even if you plan to stay in the same line of work, it’s still important to focus your search, instead of adopting a scattergun approach.

How to get over this hurdle

Self-assessment is key. To apply this look at elements like the:

  • role itself – does it truly interest and motivate you?
  • organisation itself – is it a good fit for who you are and your ethics?
  • personal skills (soft and hard) – do you have what it takes for the job?
  • work-life balance – does the role fit with where you are in life and what you’re looking for in light of family and friend relationships and your social priorities?

An option is to seek support from a mentor, career coach, recruitment agency and even a friend or family member.

It’s essential to be realistic, however. For example, if you have time-related family responsibilities, you may not want to look at roles with revolving shifts. If you have a ‘social bent’, you might not want to apply for roles that are sales-oriented. If you’re a strong people person, you likely won’t want a job that isolates you, but rather a team player position.

Self-assessment, in other words, requires you to think about your interests, strengths, transferable skills, values, and personal circumstances. This will help you narrow down your search.

Need to shine in a crowded marketplace

Preparing job application material isn’t something we all instinctively know how to do. It can help to talk to a recruitment company for support, and face2face offers its services for free to jobseekers who register with us.

How to get over this hurdle

Certainly reading expert articles can help point you in the right direction. Here are some free articles we’ve prepared. Each is worth its weight in gold, and each is only a 5-minute read:

How crystal clear is your resume writing?

Three skills to polish your resume

How to write a winning resume

If you’re struggling, you may want to engage the services of a professional resume writer and/or use artificial intelligence (AI) to create a draft. Note the emphasis on the word draft, since generating job search material using AI without verifying or checking accuracy and completeness is fraught with issues. Once you have your draft from AI you must still edit and tailor your resume.

Read more:

Leveraging AI to write your job applications

The pitfalls of AI when looking for work

Dealing with interviews

Interviews can be a major hurdle. As recruiters, we know that some jobseekers would be excellent in a role. While their resume and supporting application material shines, these jobseekers only get a second look if they also shine at interview.

How to get over this hurdle

There’s only one way to overcome this hurdle – preparation.

Here are some expert articles that will help. Once you’ve reviewed them, schedule time to prepare for interviews. Take this seriously.

Read more:

22 top interview questions and sample answers

Interview mistakes to avoid at all costs

Interviews: How to address your biggest weakness

Not hearing back

Another hurdle for jobseekers is not hearing back. This is frustrating, especially for jobseekers who have worked hard to self-assess, prepare quality application material, and prepare for interview.

How to get over this hurdle

While there’s nothing wrong with following up after an interview, don’t become a pest. And if, after following up a couple of times, you’ve heard nothing, stay calm and carry on. The reality is that an employer can receive hundreds of applications and time is against them when it comes to closing the loop with every jobseeker.

Remember, this isn’t personal. It’s the reality of a highly competitive marketplace and there’s nothing you can do to change the situation.

If you’re registered with a recruitment agency that isn’t in touch at all, it may be time to move to an agency that’s committed to contacting you at key points throughout your job search, including if you get rejected.

face2face has standards for ongoing communication that we strictly adhere to. Read: Why choose us.

Facing despair

It can be draining looking for work and it can take time. Understand this from the get-go and work hard to stay optimistic.

How to get over this hurdle

Talking with friends, family and your recruiter can help you ‘vent out loud’ and gain the energy to keep moving. Remember that applying for work is often more like running a long-distance marathon. It’s rarely like running a short, speedy sprint.


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