10 Mistakes Job Hunters Make WAY Too Often
1. Oversharing. Sometimes, it is fascinating to debrief candidates after interviews and find out some of the things they say. One was asked about who he works with and described them as “slobs and Indians.” Someone actually thought that it was a good idea to be insulting and racist on an interview. Amazing.
2. Being Unprepared. I started in recruiting more than 40 years ago before moving into coaching. Back in The Stone Ages, it was hard to research employers. You actually had to go to a library and use microfiche or read original newspapers. Unless you were interviewing with a senior executive with the firm or with the PR head, you could never obtain any information about a person you were meeting with in advance of your interview. LinkedIn and Google make things much easier, don’t they? Yet there are people who arrive unprepared, knowing nothing about their potential employer or the hiring manager(s) they are meeting with. Insane!
3. Lying. It used to be hard and take time in order to be found out. Your new employer would have to type a letter to your former employer who have to look up information in file cabinets in order to substantiate your previous dates and salary. Now, they start off by comparing what you uploaded to their applicant tracking system the last time you were looking for a job and applied to them to see that you have covered up that previous employer or are lying about your salary. You can be disqualified before speaking with anyone. And it happens all the time and no one will ever tell you.
4. Forgetting/Ignoring the Original Question and Babbling On. When qualifying people or doing mock interviews, job hunters will have done so many interviews that they clairvoyantly believe they know what the interviewer is looking for so they go off on this long monologue about what they’ve done and how they went about doing it in response to the question, “Tell me about yourself.” I remember listening to someone for about 5 minutes, and asking, “By any chance, do you remember my original question?” They didn’t.
5. Seeming Angry. Like a lover scorned, they arrive at their interview ready to complain and moan about their previous manager, co- workers, how they have been mistreated and more. Like a date who is stuck pretending to listen, your interviewer is calculating when the right time is to end their interview.
6. Not Knowing “The Single Best Question You Should Ask on Any Interview” and When To Ask It. Interviews are normally constructed for a hiring manager or HR professional to elicit information from you at their pace in ways that don’t help you. Not knowing the one question that levels the playing field and allows you to talk about what you’ve done that matters to them and not just talk about what you’ve done is a colossal mistake.
7. Saying Different Things to Different People You Interview With. Imagine telling people radically different or subtly things about your role, responsibilities and your level of impact or success. Do you think people don’t compare notes?
8. Arriving Late (or Missing the Interview Altogether) and Not Acknowledging It. Things happen but you acknowledge and apologize for being late. You apologize and explain your (perhaps) confusion that caused you to miss the interview. Trust me. No one will hire you (although they might re-schedule you) unless you acknowledge the previous ) confusion that caused you to miss the interview. Trust me. No one will hire you (although they might re-schedule you) unless you acknowledge the previous “bad behavior.” In just lingers around the relationship stinking things up.
9. Asking Stupid Questions.
“Do you give a drug test?”
“Do you do a background check?“
“Do you have any other jobs available?
10. Creating a Weak First Impression Whether the weak impression is created because you have a soft handshake (shaking hands with a fish), your hands are cold or are sweaty, your body language is poor, you’re dressed poorly by the standards of the firm you’re interviewing with or some other reason, if your first impression is weak it is hard to recover and win the interview.
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Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑
Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.
We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
Want to read more? The Press has you covered!
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52% Human-centred experience and communication
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15.3% Critical thinking
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29.8% Resilience and adaptability
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2.9% Other - I will share below!
The Gospel’s Relevance Today**
The Gospel, meaning ‘good news’, is the cornerstone of the message contained in the Bible’s first four books—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. While these records were written approximately 2,000 years ago, a natural question arises: why is this Gospel still relevant and vital for us today? This analysis seeks to explore what the Bible itself defines as the Gospel and to understand its enduring significance.
**Defining the Gospel: Core Biblical References**
The Gospel is not a vague concept; Scripture provides clear descriptions of its content and focus.
* **The Gospel of the Kingdom:** In Matthew 4:23, as Jesus begins his ministry, he is described as “preaching the gospel of the kingdom.” This immediately establishes that the good news is centrally about a kingdom—the Kingdom of God. His accompanying miracles served to validate the authority of this message.
* **The Gospel of Jesus Christ:** Mark 1:1 opens with, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Here, “Christ” is a title meaning ‘anointed one’. Thus, the good news is intrinsically about Jesus: his identity as the Anointed One and his unique status as the Son of God.
* **The Gospel of God’s Grace:** In Acts 20:24, the Apostle Paul speaks of his mission to “testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Grace signifies an undeserved gift. This reveals that the Gospel involves a gift from God, offered not because it is merited, but out of His benevolence.
* **The Gospel of Salvation and Peace:** Romans 1:16 declares the Gospel is “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes,” breaking down barriers between Jew and Gentile (Greek). Furthermore, Romans 10:15 calls it the “gospel of peace,” pointing to a future state of peace brought about by this message.
* **The Gospel Summarised:** 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 provides a foundational summary. Paul reminds believers of the gospel he preached, “by which also you are saved.” He then states its core historical facts: “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” The Gospel is therefore rooted in the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus.
In synthesis, the Gospel is the good news of **salvation and future peace in the Kingdom of God**, made possible by **the grace of God** and **the obedient sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ**, and offered to all who believe.
**Old Testament Foundations: The Gospel Preached to Abraham**
A crucial question is whether the Gospel is confined to the New Testament. Scripture shows its foundations were laid much earlier. Galatians 3:8 states explicitly that “the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’”
This reference points back to Genesis 12:1-3, where God made profound promises to Abraham: to make him a great nation, to bless those who blessed him, and that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” These promises—later reaffirmed to Isaac and Jacob—form the bedrock of the Gospel hope. The good news of salvation through Christ is the fulfillment of how **all nations** would be blessed through Abraham’s “seed.”
**The Gospel’s Personal Relevance: Good News for You Today**
How does this ancient message become “good news for you” today? The application is clearly outlined in Galatians 3.
* **Access through Faith in Christ:** Galatians 3:26 declares, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” The promise made to Abraham is now extended to anyone with faith in Jesus.
* **The Role of Baptism:** Verse 27 explains, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Baptism is the God-appointed act of faith that identifies a believer with Christ’s death and resurrection.
* **Unity and Inheritance:** Verses 28-29 reveal the glorious outcome: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Through the Gospel, all barriers are removed; believers become spiritual descendants of Abraham and heirs to the promises of the Kingdom.
This Gospel was once a mystery hidden in God’s purpose (Ephesians 3:3-9). Now, it has been revealed: the unsearchable riches of Christ, offering salvation to all who heed the call, believe the message, and are baptised into him.
**Conclusion: An Enduring and Open Invitation**
The Gospel is far more than a historical account; it is the living, powerful good news of God’s plan for salvation. It is rooted in promises to Abraham, accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and open to all people without distinction. It offers a tangible hope—the hope of resurrection, peace, and an inheritance in the coming Kingdom of God. This is why the Gospel remains profoundly relevant. It is an invitation to listen, believe, and stand firm in this hope, linking our lives today to the eternal purpose of God.
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