Hunting for a job can feel similar to the modern dating scene. You scour the internet for potential matches. Once you find a potential fit, it’s elating. Everything seems to mesh, you have the same common goals and interests, and all the stars align. Yet like dating, finding the right job has its difficulties, too. Nothing drags down your search for a job or potential mate quite like desperation. It permeates every aspect of a first impression. People can sense it. And if you are not careful, this palpable feeling can land you right back where you started. The good news, with dating, is you might be able to channel your inner charisma to summon a second date. In the job world, it’s not so simple. So if you are not sure whether you giving off that situation-lethal, desperate-job-search vibe, here are some signs you may need to reconsider your not-so-subtle approach to finding your next meaningful job.
8 Signs You’re Giving off that Desperate-Job-Search Vibe
1. Follow-Up + Follow-Up + Follow-Up
You applied for a job, aced the interview, and followed up with a thank you email to show your gratitude for the interviewer’s time. Now you play the waiting game. However, during this incommunicado session, your mind starts to play tricks, throwing your psyche into a tailspin.
Are they still interested in hiring me? What’s the next step in the interview process?
How long should I wait to follow up again? Should I let it go and apply for other jobs?
Where’s my Starbucks? I asked for whipped cream!
This slow descent into madness. Many of us have been there. The key to making it through and securing a position is to not make a potential employer aware of your underlying desperate-job-search vibe. Staying calm and collected may drive you crazy and you may become irritable, but it’s better than the alternative. When you give in to temptation and start to hound the hiring manager with calls, emails, texts, telegrams, telegraphs, or even the dreaded singing telegram, you can all but kiss the job goodbye.
There is a right way and a wrong way to follow up after an interview. The right way starts before you leave the company’s office. When you exchange pleasantries at the conclusion of the interview, make certain to ask when you should hear back from the interviewer. Whether they state three days, a month, or six weeks, adhere to their timeframe. By doing so, you demonstrate your respect for their time and the hiring process.
After the stated timeframe expires, you’re more than welcome to shoot a follow-up email over to your contact. But don’t do the follow-up, follow-up, and follow-up. That’s more harmful than beneficial. Instead, do some yoga or listen to relaxing music. Whatever you do, don’t let your zest for the job turn you into a desperate jobseeker.
2. Accepting Whatever Pay Comes Your Way
Whether you are starting your journey in the remote job world or switching careers, one of the most telltale signs of a desperate jobseeker is accepting any type of compensation offered. Sure, the world has evolved to the point that you will not have to accept goats for your services, but lunging at the first offer is never a smart power move. Worse yet, some individuals explicitly state that they are not concerned about salary or compensation. Whoa! Is that really true? Don’t sell yourself short. It may make employers think twice and will certainly alert them to that desperate-job-search vibe you’re giving off.
Regardless of your current job or salary, you cannot accept the first offer that comes your way or agree to a potential compensation package before it’s even offered. Not only are you leaving money on the table, but you are undervaluing and undercutting your own abilities and earning potential. Do not delude yourself into thinking you are not worth more.
The art of negotiation isn’t a strong suit for everyone. It requires some strong tactical skills, confidence, and perhaps even a touch of ego. But without it, you’re a fish out of water. And that’s not attractive to employers. It’s more like a red flag. Refrain from being the I’ll-take-whatever-you-offer candidate, and you just might find a few more job offers coming your way.
3. Too Much Brown-Nosing
Brown-nosing may have its place at some points in a person’s career. A bit of groveling toward your boss may help you get your foot in the door. However, it also stinks of that desperate-job-search vibe.
Interviewers love a bit of praise now and then. As they rummage through cover letter after cover letter, their job may seem somewhat thankless. When you take the opportunity to compliment an interviewer or hiring manager, they are flattered. The key here is moderation.
Obsessively or repeatedly complimenting a hiring manager during an interview or via email follows the law of diminishing returns. The onset of flattery has an upside, but the more you do it, the more likely you’re going to put yourself in a hole. And unless you are interviewing as a gravedigger or a miner, you don’t want to be in a hole.
Less is more. You may have heard that with writing or music, but it’s certainly applicable to flattery while job-hunting as well. If you overwhelmingly feel that you have to dole out compliments, try turning them into questions about the interviewer’s success as a professional. It’s far less conspicuous.
4. The Jack-of-All-Trades Approach
In general, being a jack-of-all-trades is not a terrible quality. You can assemble a grill, change a tire, or belt out the verses to “Bohemian Rhapsody” with remarkable clarity and ability. Unfortunately, in a job search setting, a jack-of-all-trades is often unappealing.
When you apply for a job, the job description clearly lays out all of the duties and responsibilities within that role. While going above and beyond is a way to cement your enthusiasm and ability after you have landed the job, it will not help you when searching for a position that highlights your strengths.
Whether you are writing a cover letter, updating your resumé, or doing an interview, stick to your strengths and experience. Willingness to do other tasks is a bonus feature, but when you’re adding irrelevant information, it reeks of a desperate-job-search vibe. In these instances, employers often follow the mindset: “jack-of-all-trades, master of none.” That doesn’t spell quality results for your job search.
5. Poor Preparation Due to Desperate Job Search Frenzy
Desperate jobseekers do not mean to attend interviews ill-prepared. Unfortunately, poor preparation is a product of their own desperation. When you filter through job boards to find a position, you may apply to way too many jobs.
If you are hitting double-digit applications in a matter of days, the details of each company and job description easily become lost. Even if you land an interview and prepare diligently, you might find that details from another company and a different job seep into your subconscious. Essentially, it’s the same idea as studying too much for a test and similar to mental fatigue and burnout.
You should always show up prepared for an interview, but don’t apply to so many positions that you frazzle yourself. Find a balance that works for you.
6. Chasing Terrible Opportunities
The emergence of Glassdoor and other online employment review platforms has revolutionized the way people find jobs. With just a few clicks, you can find information on salaries, company culture, and other relevant items that enable you to decide whether a company is a fit for you. Combined with your own employment expectations, you have almost everything you need to decide if you want to apply or go to a job interview.
Even so, far too many individuals ignore terrible reviews or warning signs of from reputable rating sites. All they are worried about is getting a job to make ends meet or save up for their next vacation. Be careful. Those jobs are not worth it, and they will likely take advantage of your desperate-job-search vibe. Some signs of a poor employer that people often overlook include:
- Unprofessionalism in most aspects of the company
- High employee turnover
- A strict or rigid work atmosphere
- Unclear job descriptions and responsibilities
- Misspellings within job listings and descriptions
- Inconsistent pay for the same position
If you see a job listing or company that incorporates any of these principles, run. Run fast. If you find that these negative aspects do not deter you from applying, you have all the hallmarks of a desperate jobseeker.
7. Interjecting Your Research Into the Conversation
Doing research on a company and your prospective role as an employee is synonymous with interview success. Nevertheless, a problem will almost certainly arise if you begin to interject your knowledge in every facet of an email or conversation. Tact goes a long way in this regard, so avoid the impulse to push your research on a hiring manager if it’s unnecessary or unnatural.
When you’re completing an application or cover letter, you should touch on the research you did on the company and why you would be a good fit. During the interview process, the idea is similar. Still, make sure not to go off on a desperate-job-search tangent about the company’s quarterly financials from last year when the interviewer asks you where you see yourself in five years.
8. The Ultimate Desperate Job Search Move: Throwing Yourself at the Position
Super desperation is a subset of desperation that puts you on a fast-track to nowhere. While this condition manifests itself in a variety of ways, in the employment world, it often involves indirectly begging for a job. While you may think this demonstrates your gusto for the position, the impression on the employer’s end is typically quite the opposite.
No one wants to hire a person who brings up personal issues or how much they need a job/money. They may not know why you left your previous job, but chances are they do not think it ended all that well. Because of this perception, they are highly unlikely to bring you aboard.
Excitement for a new job is natural. Potential to grow intrigues you. You also desire more income and an expanded professional network. Do not let that enthusiasm destroy your chances of employment and turn you into a desperate jobseeker. Let your skill set and experience do the talking for you. With help from our expert career services team, Virtual Vocations can tailor your resumé, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile to attract potential employers. Like the dating scene, you will still have to dress the part, but at least you can take the most awkward part out of the equation, and let your personality shine through. Go get ‘em, tiger.
What signs would you add to this list of signs someone’s giving off that desperate-job-search vibe? Connect with Virtual Vocations on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to tell us. We’d love to hear from you!
iStock Photo Credit: ClarkandCompany
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