Unrealistic Expectations During the Job Search

Job searching can be challenging, even when unemployment is low(er), and at times can be discouraging. Having unrealistic expectations can make things even more difficult, unnecessarily. The more you understand about the hiring process, the more realistic your expectations will be, and the less frustrated you will feel. 

Some common unrealistic expectations: 

You will get a response from the employer each time you apply for a position. 

Sometimes you’ll get an auto reply, but often you will hear nothing from the employer. If you don’t expect a response, you can avoid a lot of disappointment.

You will get interviews when applying for jobs that you are in no way qualified for. 

Employers have limited time, energy, and staff, for hiring tasks. They will only want to interview applicants that meet the job requirements. You are much more likely to get interviews when you apply for positions for which you are well-qualified. 

You can expect to get interviews without customizing your application documents and/or while using a resume format that you prefer but the hiring decision makers don’t prefer.  

Your best bet for getting an interview is to give the employer the information they want, in the format they prefer. Employers want to know why you feel you are a strong candidate for the specific job they are looking to fill, and they strongly prefer a reverse-chronological format (most recent job first). 

Someone else should do the work of the job search for you, including writing/customizing your resume and/or cover letter, and filling out applications. 

Employers want applicants who do their own work, and they want to hear about your skills and experience in your own words. They are going to be assuming that you wrote your resume and cover letter yourself, and that you have the MS Word skills/English skills/persuasive skills demonstrated in those documents and the tech skills to apply for the job yourself. 

Endlessly editing your resume and cover letter, but never applying for any jobs, counts as "job searching".

This one might sound a little strange, but many people "work on" their resume and cover letter for weeks or even months but don't ever send them out in application for a job. Having well-written and effective application documents is important, but if you are never actually submitting them to an employer, you are not moving closer to employment.

Lying in order to get hired is a good strategy (AKA “anyone can do any job; they just have to scam their way in and fake it until they make it”). 

Lying is never a good strategy for getting hired. Employers don’t want to hire people they can’t trust (5th question on the page). Dishonesty is very likely to be discovered, and quickly, especially if you are lying about qualifications/skills/experience necessary for doing the job. 

You should get an interview if you meet the minimum qualifications. 

You may be one of dozens of applicants who meet the minimum requirements, and the employer is not going to be able to interview all of you. The more skills/experience you have that match what the employer is seeking, and the more you stand out from the competition in a good way, the better chance you have of getting the interview. 

Neglecting networking and/or not having strong references, shouldn’t affect your job search. 

Having others (at least three) who will vouch for you is an important element of job search success. An applicant without references is a red flag for employers and not having strong references is likely to make them hesitant to offer you the job (at least one of your references should be a current or former supervisor). You should cultivate and stay in touch with your references and ideally, have more than three available, so you can choose the best ones to recommend you for each position you apply for. 

Expecting networking to work instantly (you meet someone and that person's actions lead to you getting hired right away). 

A professional networking relationship should benefit both people. It takes time to build the trust that is required for someone to feel comfortable recommending you. It is to your benefit to build a robust professional network before you are job hunting. 

You don’t need to prepare for an interview. 

If you don’t prepare you are very likely to get caught off guard and/or stumble when answering a tricky or unexpected question. You should do research on the employer, know how you will respond to common questions, be prepared to discuss your salary requirements, and be ready to explain gaps in your employment history, why you’re job hunting right now, why you’re interested in the job they are hiring for, why you feel they should hire you, and more. You need to be able to talk about past - and current! - jobs and bosses without any negativity. Employers often ask behavioral questions too (“What would you do if…” or “Tell me about a time when…”) and you want to have responses ready, but not memorized, describing how you would handle common challenges of the job. Practicing (doing a mock interview) will help you feel more comfortable during a real interview. You should also prepare questions of your own to ask the interviewer(s).

Expecting a recruiter to “get you a job”. 

Remember that recruiters are paid by employers, to help them fill a position. It is not a recruiter’s job to get you a job.

Your public online presence shouldn’t affect your job search.

Employers may check your public online activities, including social media posts and images, and may hesitate to offer you an interview or a job if they see something they don’t like. Check those privacy settings! Be mindful of what a Google search of your name retrieves, and as much as you can control it, make sure the results are accurate, flattering, and professional.

It is OK to ignore application instructions.

One way that employers weed out applicants who can’t or won’t follow instructions is by… giving instructions. They really do want you to follow them!

Good luck!

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The Business & Career Center now offers Tech Help For Your Job Search: In-person, drop-in programs for job seekers looking for help navigating job application websites, filling out online job applications, formatting and uploading documents, and more. Laptops will be available to use during these small group sessions. Stop by to get answers to your tech questions and to build your computer skills!

See a schedule of upcoming sessions here.