Common mistakes to avoid when job-hunting online

By CHRIS SMITH

KENYA: In today’s connected world, a huge percentage of us will at some point look for our next job online.

The below sets out some of the common pitfalls of online job hunting and the best way to make sure your application gets noticed.

Recruiter jargon and buzzwords:

Lots of jobs you’ll see online are written by recruiters working in sales-driven environments and who are desperate to fill roles for their clients. As a result, they quite often succumb to the desire to “over-egg” a role as highlighted in the recent quiz.

The danger is that although you may consider yourself a “marketing manager” and not a “growth hacker”, for example. Invest time in understanding some of the en vogue terms being used by recruiters to ensure you’re aware of the best and most relevant roles. It’s also sensible to ensure that you mention these terms in your CV – even if only in the summary.

The reason? A lot of recruiters search for people online and key words drive a lot of databases. After all, if it’s a great job, do you really care if you’re called a “growth hacker”?

The campaign for plain English should begin with your CV: Your CV is still one of the most important tools you’ll ever have to get a job. It’s your responsibility and no one else’s to make sure that you maximise your chances of catching the eye of employers and recruiters.

Ensure that your CV accurately reflects the skills that the job you’re applying for requires.

Bring out your relevant experience and relate it to the job – and put together a clear and direct covering note together to accompany your application.  All it takes is a little bit of effort to tweak your CV and it could be the key to opening the door to your next job.

Put yourself in the shoes of the recruiter and ask yourself what they want to see and how your CV will get them excited about you? Job seeking can be a numbers game but don’t get trigger happy.

 Apply for the jobs you think are best and most relevant but be mindful not to apply for everything and anything you find. If you do, you will not only devalue yourself but you’ll also get yourself in a muddle.

Let technology shorten your odds: Always let technology shorten your odds and do the leg work. You wouldn’t go out to get 15 separate insurance quotes to find the best one – so where it exists, use technology to make your job seeking simpler.

Remember that when you do a general Google search, you’ll only find what is rated and ranked by them, which is often affected by clever search engine optimisation and the amount of money someone can spend to be found.

Be ready for the reality: At the end of the day, people hire people. There’s so much evidence around that job titles don’t tell the full story and some of the euphemisms used are downright ridiculous.  —Guardian Careers