Five Biggest Mistakes When Applying for a Job in This Highly-Competitive Job Market

No matter whether you’re looking for position at the internship, entry, mid-manager or higher level, you’re application needs to show your talents and experiences in the best possible light. With so many applicants in the job hunt, flaws that are unnoticeable to most of us are blindingly obvious to hiring managers, and when you're looking at more than 15 applications for a job, any flaw is a good excuse to move on to the next application.

1. You contradict yourself. 

Employers want to give applicants an opportunity to demonstrate their accomplishments and skills. You demonstrate these through your resume and cover letter, but if you contradict yourself in either, you come off as less qualified. Believe it or not, lots of people contradict themselves in very subtle ways; for example:

• claiming they have a keen attention to detail and then misspelling the hiring manager’s name or mentioning the wrong hiring organization in their cover letter. 
• saying they are focused individuals, but having a resume that includes random and irrelevant experiences. 
• declaring that they have good report with co-workers, but having overly aggressive or (worse yet) BORING cover letters that make it impossible to imagine enjoying to work with them. 
• noting that you have more than X years experience in something, when the dates on your resume state otherwise. 

Before you submit your application, don’t just reread your materials to make sure they’re understandable—make sure the words and phrases you use are truly accurate and that there is nothing within that contradicts who you are and what you want the hiring manager to believe about you.

2. You try to claim your weaknesses as strengths. 

Instead of pointing out your own weaknesses or lack of experience in one area, focus on demonstrating how superior your strengths are. We’ve all applied for jobs we weren’t perfectly qualified for, and I’m sure hiring managers out there have chosen candidates that weren’t perfectly matching the job description. (I can say that I’ve been an example of each.) Candidates get chosen for positions because they clearly have capabilities that out-compete the other applicants. If you point out your flaws, you already rank yourself below the other applicants who don’t. Owning your mistakes and acknowledging your weaknesses might do wonders for your psychological health, but these things have no place on your job application! 

3. You don’t proof-read your cover letter. 

English is a tough language, and if it’s your second language, it’s even tougher! Do everything you can to make yourself look great on paper. Reread your application and look for grammatical errors and possible contradictions. Think carefully about each word you use and make sure it is the best one before sending in that application. And if you don’t think you can do a good job of editing your own application, find someone who can. Ask an eloquent friend or track down your alma mater’s career services department for suggestions. Don’t send anything out that hasn’t been carefully proof-read. 

4. You fail to write a balanced cover letter. 

Every cover letter or letter of intent you write needs to strike a fine balance between demonstrating (1) how you will benefit the company and (2) why you’re interested in applying for the position. Think of it as an 80/20. Spend 80% of your application wowing the hiring manager with examples of how your skills can be applied to the position you’re seeking. Then commit 20% of your application to convincing the hiring manager that you would be dedicated to the company and mission. Trust me: When 90 applicants are competing for one position, skills alone don’t cut it. 

5. You don’t put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes. 

All hiring managers want to fill positions quickly with the best qualified people. You need to make their jobs easy by organizing your application in a format that makes it easy for the hiring manager to see how qualified you are for the position.

• Use topic sentences in your cover letter. 
• Include a qualifications table in your resume. 
• Give examples that demonstrate your accomplishments that are obviously related to the needs described in the job posting. 
• Follow the instructions in the job posting to the tiniest detail. Don’t exceed page limits or numbers of work samples. Use the recommended subject heading in your emails.

The next time you apply for a new position, take the extra time to make sure you don't make any of these mistakes, and you'll avoid getting your application (which you spent hours on) arbitrarily tossed in the trash bin.