We get it.

It is easy to roll your eyes when seeing yet another list of do’s and don’ts when it comes to landing your next role – whether it be in consulting or a traditional employment role.  That being said, the reason these lists continue to prosper is because job seekers, regardless of the tenure in their careers, continue to make critical mistakes during the hunting process.

Here are the most common mistakes and issues that the leaders in Croixstone’s consulting and search practices see on a frequent basis. 

• The Skeleton LinkedIn Profile:  The calendar reads 2021.  Every modern hiring professional is using LinkedIn today to learn more about you.  The perfect resume isn’t anywhere close to perfect if your LinkedIn profile is incomplete.  If your LinkedIn profile is simply a shell, take action today to build it out.

• The Resume/LinkedIn Mismatch:  See above.  Every hiring professional is using LinkedIn and is comparing your resume to your LinkedIn profile.  It is a huge problem when your dates, company names, roles, etc. don’t match.

• The Missing Role:  So you accepted a role for what appeared to be a dream opportunity only to leave after one year to save your sanity.  Don’t kid yourself that it is ok to leave it off your resume.  Keep your information, and integrity, real and be prepared like a pro to explain it away.

• Mr. and Mrs. Email Addresses:  In the early days of email, many households used one email address.  While you may still love that legacy email address that combines you and your significant other in a clever way, never use it for business purposes.  The same goes for other “cutesy” type of email addresses.  Just don’t.

• Legacy Email Addresses:  Don’t shoot the messenger, but it is time to ditch the AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo, and other early internet email addresses.  Keeping current with technology is important in any professional role today, and using one of the legacies can send the wrong message.

• The Full VoiceMail Box:  It may sound like common sense, but never let a recruiter or hiring professional reach out to you during your search only to find that your voicemail box is full and is unable to accept messages.

Finally, here are some general job search strategies for highly experienced professionals from the folks at The Balance Careers.