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Applying for a job online? Avoid these mistakes

September 25, 2014 09:49 IST

Did you know that having a really cool e-mail id could well work to your disadvantage?

Find out what are the common mistakes candidates make while applying for a job online and how to avoid the same.

The rat race is always on in the job market where for every position, there would be at least 500 people applying for it.

If converting an interview call is one thing, getting an interview call is a bigger hurdle.

You will have to stand out in the crowd such that the 'CV eliminating panel' does not eliminate your chances of getting that dream job.

These days, recruiters post their vacancies online and all you need to do is send your job application/CV to them over e-mail.

And to win this rat race, you cannot be making any of the mistakes mentioned below.

1. Not following the guidelines

It is very important to read the role/ job description carefully and follow the guidelines mentioned by the recruiters.

Obviously, no recruiter would like to employ someone who does not follow their guidelines.

Once assimilated, fine tune your application to suit their requirements.

Not to forget, how important it is to send your application well on time.

2. Having an unprofessional e-mail ID

Not many candidates give importance to this miniscule point which can sometimes become a major turning point.

Most fresh graduates tend to use the e-mail id they created during our school or college days.

Having an email id like PriyankaHottie@hotmail.com or RajTheHulk@gmail.com will never get you any cool quotient points.

Instead, create a new mail id which is both professional and contains your name properly.

3. Creating a very casual cover letter

Most of us think that it is fine to write a casual cover letter as the CV which is sent as an attachment is of more importance. But, how many of us know that the cover letter is the stepping stone to success.

Only if you have got a convincing cover letter, the recruiter will be interested in 'Right-click -> Save Attachment' on your CV.

Thus, write a cover letter briefly mentioning your expertise and how you fit in the role.

4. Not conducting a final spell-check

Sometimes, over-confidence lures us into clicking that 'Send' button before doing a final spell-check.

Most applications get rejected if there are mistakes in the cover letter or the CV.

Obviously, it simply shows how much importance we are ourselves giving to this job application. So, let us not make this as a reason for rejection.

5. Showcasing our online presence

Recruiters tend to do an online cross check from our social media profiles.

If you have mentioned links to your online profiles on Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn/Quora, ensure that it does not backfire.

Your profiles can become a ground for lot of assumptions.

Update your profiles with genuine data and showcase only those profiles which speak about you professionally.

Viraja Devi