Biggest job hunting mistakes entry-level candidates make

April 1, 10:22 AMEntry Level Careers ExaminerHeather Huhman

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In today’s competitive, constricted job market, don’t let the job hunting process fool you. Because you have less experience finding and applying for open positions, you are more likely to make errors along the way than more senior professionals. What are some common entry-level mistakes, and how can you avoid them?

Mistake: “Entry-level candidates fail to formulate accomplishment-oriented interview answers. Many candidates simply ramble on and on instead of just answering the question at hand. This sends a signal to the interviewer that you don’t know your job history well, or you don’t know how to communicate effectively,” said Sherry Mirshahi, president of Interview Roadmap.

How to Avoid: “Candidates should use the SAR method—Situation, Action, Result—to answer all interview questions. Career professionals have different names and acronyms for this but essentially the idea is the same. Explain the situation or problem that you or your past employer experienced. Provide a short, but clear explanation of the actions you took to solve the issue. End your answer by telling your interviewer what the results were in the end,” said Mirshahi.

Mistake: One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen from entry-level and internship candidates is when they demonstrate low emotional intelligence when they communicate with potential employers,” said Tiffany Monhollon, communications supervisor and career blogger at Express Employment Professionals. “I’ve seen it happen in interviews countless times. The candidate may look great on paper, have relevant experience and be well connected, but in the interview, they are either overly-confident and aggressive, or too timid and unresponsive.”

How to Avoid: “There’s a fine balance to strike. Of course, you want to be confident in your experience and skills, but don’t imply—or worse, state outright—that you will be superior to all team members currently on staff, for example,” said Monhollon. “Yep, I’ve seen that happen. Having aspirations and dreams is great, but don’t communicate about them in ways that threaten other people at the company you’re applying at—especially the people in the interview room! Just as bad, don’t have so little to say in an interview that the paper your résumé was written on had more personality and insight than you do in living color.”

Mistake: “Spending way too much time applying for jobs on the Internet,” said Lynne Waymon, CEO of Contacts Count and co-author of “Make Your Contacts Count.”

How to Avoid: “Since about two-thirds of all jobs are found through face-to-face contact, join the professional association that serves the job type you want to be hired into. Show your character and competence, and do lots of informal information interviews as you attend meetings, sit next to people at lunch and stand around networking at the receptions,” said Waymon.

Mistake: “Candidates aren’t providing a portfolio in interviews. Portfolios provide examples of your work and awards you have received throughout your job history. They can truly pack a punch and help you stand out among other candidates. The projects they are required to complete during their time in college provide more than enough examples of what they can do for an employer,” said Mirshahi.

How to Avoid: “If they wrote a report or were part of a group project that earned an ‘A,’ they should include some or all of the work. If they have had internships, they should include examples of their projects. They should also provide positive evaluation from their past employers or recommendation letters from employers and professors. They should provide copies of awards they earned in college as well,” said Mirshahi.

Mistake: “Not following up with people. Too often job candidates sit through an interview and never follow-up,” said Thom Singer, author of “The ABC’s of Networking.”

How to Avoid: “If you want to stand out from the crowd of applicants, you should promptly send a note thanking them for the interview. Express both your gratitude for being considered and your enthusiasm for the opportunity,” said Singer.

Bill Torchiana, president of Torchiana, Mastrov and Sapiro, adds, “In your note, speak to the topics you talked about in the interview. It demonstrates that you continued to think about the interview conversation and how you and the interviewer might relate on a daily basis.”

Mistake: “The biggest mistake young job hunters make is not to clean up their online presence before looking for a job. Every HR person will now check Google and Facebook to research potential candidates. If they have a choice between one person with no Facebook profile and a candidate who has a Facebook profile with a picture of themselves drinking upside down at a fraternity party, they will usually pick the candidate without the questionable picture,” said Patrick O'Malley of Patrick O'Malley & Associates.

How to Avoid: “New candidates can protect themselves by thinking about the following—anything that you write online may be seen by your children and your children’s children, along with current family, employers and others. Use that yardstick of caution before you write something on Facebook, in a blog, or on Twitter. On Facebook, there are also advanced privacy settings,” said O'Malley.

Mistake: “After a few months on the job search, it becomes very easy for even the most resilient college graduate to say ‘I'll take anything.’ While times are tough and jobs are few and far between, this mentality will inevitably come back to haunt you,” said Vance Aloupis, program director of Beyond Graduation.

How to Avoid: “First of all, employers can get a sense of when a potential employee is just looking for a job and doesn't have a serious passion for the type of work he or she would be doing. Secondly, if you do get the job, there is a very strong chance that you'll find yourself miserable in a job you hate. Even though it may be more tedious, seek out jobs that actually interest you and utilize your skills. True passion and excitement for a specific opportunity will be greatly appreciated by the person interviewing you,” said Aloupis.

Mistake: “Candidates aren’t formulating interview answers in a way that express what they can do for the employer. Many entry-level candidates are simply stating what they have done but aren’t putting it in the prospective of how this ties in with the company they would like to work for now,” said Mirshahi.

How to Avoid: “When practicing for your interviews, create a list of several key attributes that your prospective employer is known for in their industry, and align yourself with one or two of these attributes in your answers. For instance, if an employer asks about your strengths, and you learn that they are known for providing fast service, you might state at the end of your response: ‘I know that your company places a high value on providing service that is quick, so as you can see, I share that same philosophy,’” said Mirshahi.

Mistake: “Many new grads were raised by Baby Boomer parents who have always been eager to help out in every aspect of their life. With college graduation fast approaching, many new grads are turning to their parents for answers on how to find their first job. While it is perfectly acceptable for a parent to play the role of a career coach, there is a new trend where parents are becoming involved with career decisions that should be made solely by their adult children,” said Denise Palovick, a representative of CollegeJobBank.com.

How to Avoid: “By directly participating or interfering in a child’s job search process, parents can inhibit young candidates from discovering themselves and demonstrating their independence. It is important for young graduates to exhibit confidence, show initiative and effectively conduct their job search without being micromanaged by their parents,” said Palovick.

Mistake: “Showing up to an interview with no list of references and no letters of recommendation. Even entry-level candidates should have enough experience to come to an interview prepared with a list of three to five references and one or two letters of recommendation,” said Lisa Quast, president and founder of Career Woman, Inc.

How to Avoid: “Seek out those with whom you’ve worked in the past, such as previous supervisors, the summer intern coordinator or the coordinator of the volunteers at a local charity. Ask for permission to use them as references and see if they are willing to write letters of recommendation for the work they’ve seen you accomplish,” said Quast.