It is easy to feel lost and confused. At other times, you may not know how to position yourself. Ever thought that you are more qualified than you let yourself think?
Job hunting can be challenging and especially in the current job market that is very competitive. It is easy to feel lost and confused. At other times, you may not know how to position yourself. Ever thought that you are more qualified than you let yourself think? Here are some ways in which you maybe limiting yourself:
1. Careless mistakes when making applications
There are small mistakes that can be very costly in your job search. It is important to understand that employers have time constraints and, because of limited time, they have to prioritize what is most important in a candidate’s CV. Small things like typing mistakes and writing the wrong addresses in a cover letter can ruin any chance of you getting called for the interview and finally getting hired. Take time to review your application and if need be, you can get a friend to read through and edit it to ensure that it has no errors. If in any case you have already submitted your application, then let it pass but take it as a learning experience and ensure that you don’t repeat the same mistake in other applications.
2. Failing to include the skills that you have
Many people don’t clearly state the skills that they have thus limiting themselves. As humans, we develop skills in everything that we do. Skills are developed from work experience, education and training, hobbies, extracurricular activities, volunteer work and even self-study. That skill that you may have left out either knowingly or unknowingly maybe what the employer is looking for. Be keen to state your job-related skills first and transferable skills as well. You need to pick out key skills to include in your CV and be honest when including them. Keep in mind that once you get that job you will have to prove every skill that you claim to have.
3. Not taking internships seriously
There is an assumption that internships are not counted in as work experience and for that reason many people don’t include it in their CVs as part of their work experience. Any internship opportunity whether paid or unpaid or volunteer work for that matter, tend to be considered as work experience by most employers. Even though its unpaid internship, the compensation is in the form of the skills and expertise you gain that enable you penetrate into the job market. You may have done that internship to meet school requirements but you acquired skills during that period that maybe useful in your next job. Especially for new entrants into the job market, internship experience maybe the only thing that will get the recruiter looking at your CV. So don’t omit that part and be sure to state the skills that you acquired during the internship period.
4. Not applying for a job because of the level of education required
You may have come across that job advertisement and feel that you are the person the employer is looking for. You have the skills, work experience but then they require a Bachelor’s Degree and you have a diploma and you automatically disqualify yourself. The truth of the matter is that recruiters use that to reduce the number of applications they get. If you meet all the requirements except the required education level, it’s still worth applying for the job. You can imagine how many other people will be thinking like you and will end up not applying for the job. Once you get to the interview stage, ensure that you demonstrate how your skills, experience and qualities make you the right candidate for the job – and just maybe, that whole degree business may well melt away. Once you get the job, consider going back to school to get that degree.
You are more qualified than you think and the limitation is always in your mind. Self-belief is critical in your job search. If you doubt yourself in any way, you can review what you have achieved over time to encourage yourself. That task that you were given during that internship or in that last job that you did very well. If you did it before, nothing will stop you from doing it again. Stop limiting yourself!
