Whether you're applying for a part-time job, an internship, or your first or
second full-time job, avoiding these common errors can help you land into your
dream job.
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1. Applying to positions you are not qualified for. The fact is all
the nailed interviews and glowing references in the world are not going to land
you jobs that
require degrees or experience you don't have.
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2. Expecting job opportunities to come to
you. About 80 percent of available jobs go unadvertised, which means they won't
be posted on a job board or waiting
for you to circle them in the classifieds: It's up to you to
hunt them down.
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3. Not taking your job search seriously.
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4. Not doing your homework. According to a survey 44 percent
of corporate executives say student job-seekers lack knowledge about their
company. Know a
company's products/ services, its main competitors, and the
current issues it's affected by.
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5. Addressing items "To Whom It May Concern." Before you mail
a resume or cover letter, call the company and ask for the name of the HR
manager or division
head of your area of interest. If answering a blind ad,
address the cover letter to "HR Manager."
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6. Being too modest. Don't be afraid to talk up
everything you've accomplished. "The whole point of an interview is to explain
why you should be hired.
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7. If you're not prepared, if you haven't found out
about the company, you'll get blown out of the water.
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8. Not following up. You certainly don't want to bug a company
on a daily basis. But a phone call to find out the status of your application
after sending a resume
or interviewing with an executive is perfectly acceptable.
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9. Not presenting yourself professionally.
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10. Being unorganized. Keep a log of each document you send to
the company, when you applied, what materials you sent, follow-up calls you
made, and when
you met with them, if you did.
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