What is Wasting Time in Your Job Search Process?

When looking to enter employment or change your career path from one industry to another, one common thread is the level of time-wasted during the process. It is identified as occurring during the initial, sometimes lengthy job search process. Whilst some applicants are swift in their ambitions and manage to organize themselves at a quick pace, others find themselves bogged down by trivial matters. Both clerical and personal in origin, they result in much time being wasted and opportunities being missed in the wide job market. To avoid falling into the trap, take heed of the main factors that cause time to waste in the job search process.

1. Resume editing

The task of editing your resume is a vital yet time-consuming one. It is absolutely key that your resume is updated to the very best quality and is filled with the most recent information and achievements regarding an applicant. It’s an essential element of the overall job search process that often gets severely overlooked. Utilizing a resume-editing service, particularly one that is able to produce a professional looking resume for a wide range of applicants, can help in saving lots of time that would otherwise be wasted. Another great way to get help on your resume, as well as other aspects of the job search, is to hire a career coach.

2. The myth of online simplicity

With the explosion of internet culture and online connectivity, a common misconception has arisen which feeds the belief that successfully applying for a job online is foolproof and simple. This is often not the case, as the labyrinthine structures of some online job search engines make for a perfect storm of time wasting. Even though the 21st century is certainly the century of technological reliance, it can often be less time-consuming for an applicant to forgo online application and hand in a physical resume and other documents instead. What’s more, instead of spending hours scouring online job site, you may consider other, more creative ways to look for jobs, many that applicants do not even consider or know of—meaning less competition for you, as well.

3. Busy hiring season

It is common sense to understand that applying for a job during the busiest hiring months of the year is always going to mean less opportunity, simply due to the increased numbers of applicants for the same positions. If there is an opportune time to be selective, then a better, time-saving option is to apply for a job during the months that are not notoriously highly trafficked in terms of career changes and job applications.

4. Wrong qualifications

Another big factor that can often make the process of job searching an extremely long one is when applicants waste time researching and applying for positions that they know they don’t necessarily have the appropriate qualifications for. There is a big difference between applying for a job one dreams of and applying for a job one can realistically get. Lots of precious time is wasted when people are not truthful with themselves in their qualifications and in their levels of experience.

5. Scams

This particular time-wasting factor comes through no fault of the applicants. However, because it does happen more and more these days, so it is important to recognize when a job advertisement is legitimate and when it is a scam post. Such posts are incredibly easy to publish on job search engines. They are attractive because they promise big wages and require little experience. Getting caught up in these false job offers can really waste an applicant’s time, potentially making them miss out on real opportunities that could have been taken up at the same time.

6. Relying on Linkedin

The rise in popularity of LinkedIn is seen as good thing in many ways, but sometimes it can add to job search time-wasting when users fill out their profiles and think that will be enough to attract job offers without actually having to apply. This is certainly not the case and a LinkedIn profile should never be the beginning and end of a job search.

Stay focused, have a plan and avoid the obvious time-wasting to be fruitful in your job search.

Thinking of hiring a career coach to help you with your job search? Browse our directory of career coaches and get a FREE consultation orrequest a personalized coach recommendation!