Being a job seeker can be so tough and demoralizing that it can cause anyone to feel depressed. With the growing population today, more and more people are looking and applying for jobs, making the competition for any position a difficult one. However, if you’ve got the right attitude and you know how to avoid some common mistakes when searching for a job, you can increase your chances of being hired and stop the painful process of being rejected over and over again.

Here are 10 of the most common mistakes every job hunter should avoid:

1. Taking rejections seriously.

As you search and apply for a job, you most absolutely want it to go smoothly and get hired. However, the reality is not so easy and it’s definitely harsh. There will be many times that you will not meet a company’s qualifications and end up getting rejected. This can be quite painful and might cause you to even struggle with your self-esteem. Being rejected is embarrassing. But a true and dedicated job seeker does not take rejections seriously. Instead, they learn from their mistakes and feedback from the interviewer and make sure that next time they do their best.

2. Not doing any research.

Another common mistake of job seekers around the world is just looking at every possible job ad and sending resumes without doing any research about the company. Doing research about the company you are about to apply to is a vital and necessary step for you to avoid embarrassment during the interview. Also, it will help you assess if the certain job offering is best suited to your skills.

3. Talking bad about your previous employer.

Saying mean or negative things about your previous employer during the interview will give your interviewer the idea that you are not easy to work with. Maybe, your previous employer really wasn’t that good and treated you poorly, but speaking ill about them will negatively impact your employability. After all, if they ever hire you, have bad chemistry with you and let you go, how can they be so sure that you will not damage their name and talk negatively about them to your future employer?

4. Forgetting to proofread.

Your resume is the most important document you will present to any potential boss. Resumes sum up all the necessary information about you and will give clear impressions of who you are and what experience you have. So if your resume is full of typos and misspelled words, it will greatly affect your first impression on your potential employer.

5. Negativity.

So, the application’s been accepted, and you’ve got an interview scheduled with a potential employer. But then, at the time of your interview, your hands are all sweaty and your knees are shaking. Sure, the interview process can really be nerve-wracking and you might start to wonder if you can really do this. However, negativity does not help you at all. It blocks your thinking and turns you into a complete fool. Try to relax, inhale and exhale as you talk, and answer every question honestly and confidently.

6. Having an unprofessional email address.

It may not seem so obvious at first, but email addresses are often detrimental to job seekers. An email address like fckhot69@hotmail.com will definitely destroy your chances of impressing potential employers. Yes, you may still use it, but it might not be a good thing to send to interviewers since it will look really unprofessional. Try creating a simple name-based email (lastname.firstname@website.com). These little details make all the difference.

7. Selecting bad or fake references.

In your resume or if you are ever offered a job, upon filling out forms, you’ll come upon the references section. Many job seekers do not even think this through and just add up any names that come up in their mind. According to a CarrerBuilder survey, 47 percent of employers developed a less favorable view of the job seeker after they spoke with their references. One study in 2012 even showed that 80 percent of employers contacted the references and 62 percent of those references had nothing good to say about the job seeker. Also, 29 percent of employers found out that some references given by job seekers were fake or did not even know the job seeker.

8. Dressing inappropriately.

You got a nice suit for prom. On your graduation day, you bought an expensive dress. So why not dress professionally during interviews with a potential employer? Many job seekers forget this factor and use the oldest clothes in their closets. This might give your potential employer the idea that you do not take them seriously and you could get rejected based on your appearance.

9. Applying for every job you find.

You saw an ad and immediately sent your resume to their website. Your friend told you about a job opening at wherever and you quickly visited them and gave them a resume. You came across an online job ad, and you hurriedly contacted the employer to tell them that you were interested. While finding many job offers can be a good sign, sending and applying for every job you find might not be a good idea. Not only will it cause you to lose focus, but what if a few of them set up the same interview date? What will you do then? Cancel the others? Cancelling on them might give them the idea that you are not worth their time.

10. Having a terrible attitude.

So during your interview, negativity is nowhere to be found and you are so confident that you boast about everything you’ve ever done. Even if you slump in your chair like you’re some brat while your potential employer interviews you, you can cause your interviewer to raise an eyebrow at you. Showing off can be viewed poorly by your interviewer, especially if your tone is not just confident but braggy. It is not wrong to brag about yourself. After all, it is one of the necessities to leave a good impression on your interviewer. But if you go overboard, you could end up hearing a “We don’t want you here.” So be careful!

Some final thoughts:

The long, agonizing process of seeking a job can be torturous and embarrassing. However, learning from mistakes and overcoming the embarrassment will create a better you. And the satisfaction and happiness you get when you hear the words “Congratulations, you’re hired!” will be incomparable.