Common Mistakes Jobseekers Make 

Hosted by David Valks & Ashely Dodd 

10 common mistakes that job seekers make when applying for new roles 

Today’s podcast is to help guide you to land that dream job! 

1.    Using an unprofessional photo  

•    Either on CV or LinkedIn, linking social media to a professional profile. Our advice is to take your photo off – some people just don’t like photos 

•    If you do have one, you should get it right. Personal Facebook, e.g. night out, as pretty as you might look, is not appropriate 

•    It does reflect on you. Inject personality but keep it in the parameters of professionalism. We do not mean using a stock photo of yourself or shirt & tie. Should reflect your personality but just got to be careful 

•    Clients do look up candidates on social media to check if they’re a good fit for them 

•    Look at it objectively, how does your profile present to clients? 

•    Content is relevant to yourself and brand – Linkedin, Facebook etc.  

•    Must be in good taste 

2.    Not tailoring your application to the role that you’re applying for 

•    Applying for the wrong type of roles 

•    Provide too much detail of irrelevant experience, jobs that have completely no relevance for the one you are applying for 

•    Remember to keep it relevant 

•    Adding jobs to your CV that were 10 years ago 

•    It’s about drawing client’s attention to where you want it to be 

3.    Tailoring the cover letter to the relevance of what you’re applying for 

•    Hiring managers will glance at CVs and cover letters 

•    Provide key information at the top of the CV  

•    Agencies will look for other agency competitors on your CV, where there are transferable skills 

•    You can still include retail experience if it goes well with role eg. project management or account services 

•    Make cover letter relevant to make application – really stand out 

4.    What makes your CV relevant  

•    Having a CV that’s too lengthy, e.g. 12 pages is too long 

•    Keep CV to 1-2 pages max, 3 pages is a real push 

•    Make every word count! 

•    Every word you write is a chance to sell yourself to the future employer 

•    In terms of education, no need to state primary school. Higher education and above is all you need 

5.    Sending out a generic cover letter 

•    Addressing the wrong person, wrong company, really shows lack of care 

•    Cover letter – use this to explain succinctly your situation, e.g. moving interstates, your visa etc. include these key details. Or if your wishing to make a career move from Account Executive moving to design etc.  

•    Write these details in an email is fine too, can be in place of a cover letter 

•    Make it good, if you do have a Cover Letter,  make it count, make it stand out, don’t just say I’m good at team working!  

6.    Spelling and grammar 

•    No excuses! – especially in this day and age, you have access to Spell Check and Grammarly for example 

•    It only takes 5 minut