Many people make significant job search mistakes and never even know about it. These blunders are easy to make, and they can cost you the job offer or loss of money.

Below, are 10 of the biggest mistakes some job seekers make and how to avoid them:

Starting the process too late:

Ideally, graduate students should start looking for meaningful jobs long before they convocate. Some undergraduates, who assume that they will get a job without too much effort, wait too long to begin the process,, forgetting that the job market is very competitive.

Under-utilizing the alumni network:

Though parents and their friends can provide good contacts, the network of professionals that comes through a college or university should be one of the first places a young job seeker turns.

Using a sloppy and self-centered résumé:

Young job seekers are often weak on résumé basics, like clear, tidy layout, careful proofreading for grammar and punctuation, and use of keywords from the job description. Another big problem: the “objective” section tends to be too much about what they want, and not enough about the potential employer. For example, young applicants often say, “entry level position where I can use my skills, ideas and enthusiasm and I can learn a lot.” Instead, the emphasis should be on what they can contribute to the employer. Applicants should also leave off menial jobs like camp counselor, unless they can quantify their achievements.

Writing cover letters that repeat the résumé

Many young applicants regurgitate their résumé accomplishments in their cover letters. Instead, cover letters should be short and vivid, and say something particular about what the applicant can bring to the job.

Doing poor research

Young job seekers often just glance at a company website before an interview. Instead they should read everything on the site, search for news clippings about the company, and track social media information, like Twitter feeds, on company managers.

Failing to clean up their social media profile

All of those drunken, bikini-clad pictures on Facebook should be removed, or locked down with privacy settings. Everyone, including college students, needs a polished LinkedIn LNKD profile.

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