Still looking for that job? Are you making these time wasting job-seeker mistakes?
Social media is great for crowd sourcing information. Hannah Morgan (@CareerSherpa) and I are lucky to have an amazing network of friends and colleagues from the career coaching, recruiting and careers industries. We hope you will check out their other advice we are showcasing in honor of our upcoming eBook, You Need a Job: 5 Steps to Get One.
This is part two of two posts I published this weekend with great information from our colleagues — and Hannah has two unique posts filled with more information planned this weekend as well. I told you our colleagues had plenty to share about the subject! Be sure to check out Hannah’s post today.
We hope you will learn something new from these responses to the question: What mistakes do job seekers make?
Passive job seekers
No job seeker can afford to sit back and hope for the best. If you are not driving your own career bus, who is driving it?
Job seekers engage in passive searches that put way too much emphasis on resumes, cover letters and job boards. ~ Walter Akana, Threshold Consulting
Online Info
Both Hannah and I are big proponents of using social media and online tools. Are you giving enough thought to your online presence when it comes to job search?
Some job seekers are still failing to clean up their online presence — most recruiters and hiring managers will do an online search on each job candidate. ~ Heather Huhman, Come Recommended
Create a personal alias and a professional profile online. Use separate emails for both. You’ll be glad you did when it’s time for a background check. ~ Jim Stroud
Learn new things
One thing that is a guarantee for job seekers – the job market, types of positions and the skills you need will continue to change and evolve. Are you keeping up?
The job seeker doesn’t take the time to learn new skills (e.g., social media) that could add to marketability while expanding their resources. ~ Walter Akana, Threshold Consulting
Applying, resumes and interviewing
It is amazing how much there is to do and think about before you are ready to think about your resume, job search materials and interview skills! Some tips from our colleagues:
Job seekers are in a hurry and rush through writing their resume or having their resume written, which ultimately costs them more time (and money) because they chose speed over quality. ~ Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, Career Trend
Chris Havrilla, Havrilla, LLC, points out these job seeker errors:
- Not taking control of your resume (don’t be generic, treat like a business proposal – one size does not fit all) or interview process (making sure Recruiter/Interviewer walks away from the interview with the information they need – not just the answers to the questions they ask).
- Applying for a job for which you are not qualified or for which you cannot add value.
- Not interviewing the company – just letting them interview you.
Too often, job seekers stay within what feels like a safe zone for their cover letter and other application materials. Remember that doing something unique and outside the box will help you stand out! ~ Alexis Grant
Follow up
You applied, so now it’s time to wait and see? Not if you actually want the job! Follow up is important!
Applying online only, not following up with company, recruiter or hiring manager directly. ~ Chris Havrilla, Havrilla, LLC
The process of applying online and waiting for a call does not work well in this job market. You have to proactively contact people in the organization. A personal connection goes a lot farther than a piece of data coming over the internet. ~ Harry Urschel, e-Executives
Other Tips
There’s so much more advice! (There is a lot to say — our eBook has 29 chapters packed full of it!) Here are some additional, useful tips from our colleagues we didn’t want you to miss:
Job seekers spend far too much time listening the media and the ‘doom and gloom’ brigade. In fact, job seekers don’t screw up enough. Resumes, networking and interviewing all improve by making MORE mistakes, not less. ~ Sital Ruparelia
Job seekers frequently focus on the “one†thing they can’t do (some new technology) or don’t have (degree) or can’t control (age), using that one factor as a roadblock to a search. They forget the 1027 things they can do and what value they do bring. ~ Dawn Bugni, The Write Solution
Do any of these answers make you squirm? Maybe you are the job seeker who isn’t quite as prepared as you should be? Maybe your resume isn’t quite right, or you aren’t following up? Our ebook, You Need a Job: 5 Steps to Get One, which we are so excited about launching TOMORROW, Monday, June 11th, will give you specific advice and information about how to address most of these and many other concerns that prevent job seekers from landing opportunities.
It’s 29 chapters of “how to do’s†for job seekers who want to stop looking and start working in their new opportunities. Stay tuned – for those who buy the eBook first, we are offering some free bonuses. Keep your eye here tomorrow for details.
If you want to read more ideas, don’t miss yesterday’s post about what not to do when you are looking for a job.
Update: the ebook is available. If you want to learn how to find a job, learn more here.
photo by Alan Cleaver