First-Time Job Seeker Mistakes to Avoid

Kristine Penning
September 10, 2020
Career Guide Article

While you may have internships or summer work experiences under your belt, looking for a full-time, salaried job is a different ball game. Here's some first-time job seekers mistakes to avoid.

First-Time Job Search Mistakes to Avoid

I remember feeling very apprehensive about the job search process my senior year of college. While I had a few internships under my belt, looking for a full-time, salaried job felt like a different ball game. Here are a few things I learned along the way, and a few things I’ve learned while working for AgCareers.com.

Creating a Generic Resume

While it’s okay to have a resume template ready to go, be sure to customize it to each role you apply to. Adjust your work experience to include only relevant roles with transferable skills and duties listed. Add in keywords from the job description to your resume where possible for each customization you create.

Not Preparing for the Interview

There are a lot of ways to prepare for the interview, but be sure that you do at least something to prepare. Research the company, practice example interview questions (there are in endless supply on the internet) and prepare some questions to ask your interviewer about the role or company.

Oversharing

Don’t sabotage yourself by talking too much or sharing information better left unsaid. Try to keep your political views out of the interview—you don’t want to clash with your interviewer. And you don’t have to let them know you received disciplinary action at your last job—trust me, this won’t help.

Inappropriate Dress for the Interview

Because we live in an increasingly informal world, interview dress has followed suit (no pun intended). If you show up in a sweater and khaki pants against a fellow candidate in a suit, who do you think will make a better impression on the interviewer? Who appears more serious about the opportunity?

Entitlement

This advice is coming from a Millennial: you aren’t owed anything. You are not owed a job, and you are not owed a CEO-level salary as a new graduate. Humility will make you stand out while entitlement will make employers think twice about hiring you.