You’ve been hunting for your next big opportunity for weeks, months, and maybe even longer than that. Chasing after a new job can feel like an uphill battle, especially when you seemingly have all the right credentials and qualifications for the position. So what gives? Sometimes it’s not a lack of skill or talent but rather a lack of good, solid job searching practices. Before you throw in the towel, see whether any of these four bad habits are ruining your chances of getting hired.

1. Succumbing to negativity – If you’ve been on the job hunt for a while, it’s safe to say you’ve faced some rejection along the way. More often than not, jobseekers mistakenly equate rejection with failure and give into feelings of self-doubt, insecurity, and even bitterness. Negative attitudes can unknowingly come across through your body language, presentation, and overall mentality which may cause an employer to think twice about your enthusiasm and fit for a job.
2. Being too casual – Although you want a potential employer to see you as friendly and personable, sacrificing formality to do so will get you nowhere. First impressions start long before an actual face-to-face interview and poor grammar, slang words, or casual text-message like correspondences will come off as lazy and unprofessional. This applies to your application, email and phone correspondences, and to the interview itself.
3. Not preparing for the interview – Landing an interview is a little victory in and of itself, but it’s not an automatic “in” to a company. Winging the interview will cause you to stumble on answers and may hurt your chances of ever working with that company again. It communicates how little you care about the position and your disregard for the hiring manager’s time.
4. Putting all your eggs in one basket – If you’re putting all your job search efforts into just one method, particularly the internet, you could be missing out on a good portion of the job market. Not every company posts their open positions online and many don’t advertise them at all. Additionally, sitting around and waiting for an interview or job offer after submitting a few applications wastes valuable time that you could be using to continue your job search should things not pan out the way you expect.

If you’re guilty of one or more of these bad habits, get rid of them quick or you’ll be sure to remain unemployed or stuck in that job that you hate. In the meantime, check out Real Jobs Hawaii to find all the latest local jobs!