Avoid these common mistakes when making job applications
- May 21, 2021
If you’re busy firing off job applications and you’re not receiving many (any?) responses, it could be down to a number of reasons. We’ve put together some tips on how you can improve your success rate below… 
Lengthy cover letters
A common mistake that a lot of candidates make is attaching a long cover letter. The cover letter should be like a synopsis of a book, it gives a bite sized overview of who you are, what you’re applying for and why you want to change jobs. It only need be one paragraph and make sure you adapt it according to the role.
No personalisation
Failing to personalise your CV to the job you’re applying for can harm your application too. When recruiters look through your CV, they want to find relevant experience for the role and if they receive high volumes of applications and your resume is messy or off topic, you’re unlikely to be successful. To create a CV that stands out try Canva, they have a lot of templates to choose from, for free!
Updating LinkedIn
Recruiters will often find a CV on a job board and then also cross reference it with a LinkedIn profile, if your profile isn’t updated or has a fuzzy photo, or even no photo at all it won’t help your cause. Ensure you have a clear headshot of yourself, updated experience and reasons why you may have gaps between jobs, plus if you’re looking for a new role it helps to add ‘open to opportunities’ to your profile. Whatever you do, ensure you have a profile as many roles these days require some form of technical capability and not having one sends alarm signals to employers.
Quick apply
If you’re going to use the quick apply buttons on job boards or LinkedIn, remember to update your CV and TRY NOT TO APPLY TO EVERY JOB YOU SEE, try to be a bit more selective as you can appear desperate otherwise, or even careless. Recruiters may often have multiple roles so if you’re not suited to the one you’ve applied for they may be able to put you forward for another one.
Take your time, find roles that you really think suit your experience and read the adverts to ensure you meet at least the basic requirements. Potential employers will take you more seriously and you will avoid the disappointment that comes from hearing nothing back from your applications!