This pandemic has shaken the world to its core. From pandemic-induced recession to city-wide lockdowns, travel restrictions to millions of people getting infected and dying a lot has happened in 2020. Despite the introduction of vaccines, there is still a lot of doom and gloom even in 2021.

Even though, you might be working in the tech sector or industry, which have not been badly affected by this pandemic, there is still a possibility that you might have been laid off by your business just to keep the expenses in check and cut the business expenses in order to survive this tough economic downturn.

If you are on the receiving end of this pandemic and are looking for a new job, there are few mistakes you need to avoid. You don’t want to get carried away in your quest to finding your dream job.

In this article, you will learn about seven job hunting mistakes IT professionals are making during this pandemic.

7 Job Hunting Mistakes You Should Avoid

Here are seven job hunting mistakes you should not make during the pandemic.

Accepting a Lowball Offer

Just because you are laid off from your previous job due to the pandemic does not mean that you should accept a lowball offer. Many talented IT professionals make the mistake of accepting an offer that not only pays them a low salary but also becomes a pain in the neck later down the line.

As a talented IT professional, you don’t want to fall into that trap. You need to get rid of the fear that forces you to make such a decision. It might be easier said than done as you might want to jump on the next opportunity that comes your way especially if you have recently lost your job. That should not force you to sell yourself short.

Having Unrealistic Salary Expectations

We have already discussed accepting a lowball offer, let’s talk about another extreme. Another mistake IT professionals make is they have unrealistic expectations about salary. They are demanding a salary which does not make sense in today’s economic downturns. With work from home trend gaining ground, more and more employees are willing to take a pay cut to avail this facility.

Additionally, businesses are also looking to find a perfect balance between corporate location as well as employee location. You also need to understand that not all IT and digital marketing jobs have compensation that lies in the same salary bracket. It usually depends on how in-demand your skills are. The harder it is for recruiters to find people with the same skillset, the higher will be the probability of getting a higher salary.

Treating Apply Button As Panic Button

Another mistake observed by technology candidates is applying for every job that comes their way. This trend was more noticeable during this pandemic. Even worse, some candidates have even applied for multiple positions in the same firm that too by using the same application.

Let’s say, you are applying for the position of a system administrator who is required to manage the Cheap dedicated servers. This requires a completely different set of skills to let’s say a system analyst. If you use the same application for applying for both these positions, you will eventually get rejected.

Since it is easy to apply for jobs online, most IT candidates tend to start hitting the Apply button vigorously as soon as they find that their resume is ready to be forwarded to the human resource department of different companies. Only apply for jobs that are relevant and use a different application for applying for each position.

Thinking Remote as Work From Anywhere

If you think remote and work from anywhere are the same thing. I don’t blame you. Most people see remote work in the same light. Unfortunately, companies don’t feel the same way about remote work.

Matt Dares, Senior Vice President and CIO at Rocket Software expressed his concerns about this matter when he said, “The biggest pitfall that people sometimes face is answering honestly: can I work remotely? It sounds like a simple question to ask, but many people have to consider if they have the right environment, one in which they’re able to work undisturbed and truly get involved in different aspects of the role.”

The problem with remote positions especially in IT is that they are not permanently remote. You should keep that in mind when searching for a job that lets you work from your home. Acquire logistical information beforehand so you know exactly what you are getting yourself into.

Limiting Your Scope To A Niche Market

If you are an IT professional who has limited yourself to a particular area or industry then, your career will face many hurdles and roadblocks along the way. This mindset will force your career to stagnate and you might not be able to capitalize on opportunities that are available elsewhere. Never limit yourself to a particular business area and think beyond that. Just because a skill is not as in demand as others does not mean that you should ignore it. These jobs can come in high demand after few years and you can then make the most of the upward trend.

Not Networking When You Are Remote

Your boss asks you to work from home but that should not deter you from networking with others. Caitlyn Metter, recruitment manager at Lever pointed out that “Most people think that networking is more difficult because there are no in-person events, but working from home has allowed people to network easily as they’re not traveling. It is also a great time to look at your existing network of former colleagues and friends at companies you’d be interested in, who may be able to refer you to an open role in their current company.”

Only Focusing On Developing Your Technical Skills

If you do a study on the resumes of IT professionals, you will find a common trend. They all are technically sound because they lay too much emphasis on developing and polishing their technical skills but where they lag behind is in soft skills.

Michele Olivier, principal consultant at O&H Consulting said, “IT folks are notorious for having resumes that focus entirely on duties and not accomplishments, [give a] laundry list [of] technologies without giving context, and phrase things in a way that no non-technical person can understand. Each of these will lose you the opportunity, and the three combined can keep great folks out of work for months.”

Which is the biggest job hunting mistake you have ever made in your IT career and what you have learned from it? Share it with us in the comments section below.