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By: Kevin Donlin [Recently], I [wrote] about three habits of highly ineffective job seekers. [Now] here’s the final installment: four more bad habits that can wreck your career. Have a look below to see if you’re practicing any. If so, drop these habits now, and you may start getting more calls from employers tomorrow … Habit 1) Say “But” instead of “How” When highly unsuccessful job seekers are presented with a new idea, the first word out of their mouths is usually: “But ….” As in: “Hey, Joe, here’s a phone script you can use to call people and generate job leads. You ought to try it!” Joe, the highly unsuccessful job seeker, replies: “But, I’ve already called everyone in my network.” Successful job seekers, on the other hand, greet new ideas with this question: “How could I adapt that to my job search?” Then they get busy. Listen to your self-talk today. Are you saying, “But” a lot more than “How”? If so, the scientific term for your condition is but-head (sic). Sorry, couldn’t resist. To stop being a “but-head,” start saying, “How can I make that work for me?” more often in your job search (and in your life). Habit 2) Fail to tell everyone about their searches Unsuccessful job seekers often equate employment status with self-worth, and are too embarrassed to tell friends and family about their job searches. But … you won’t get paid more for finding a job entirely on your own. In fact, you may not get a paycheck for many moons unless you enlist the aid of as many people as possible, starting in your own home and on the block where you live. Today, before your next bathroom break (yes, I want to give you a sense of urgency) make a list of the 20 most-successful, most-connected people you know. How many of them know about your job search? When I say, “know,” I mean the following: * Do they know the title of the job you seek? If not, you won’t find work as fast as you could. To get hired quickly, tell everyone. Not 10 people. Or 23. Everyone — every person you meet, every day. Habit 3) Set no specific goals I’m firmly convinced that muddled thinking causes more prolonged unemployment than any other factor — economic, political, or otherwise. Here’s a how to spot the unclear thinking of an unsuccessful job seeker … When you ask how many networking calls they’ve made this week, they reply: “I’m moving forward on that.” When you ask for names of companies they want to work for, they reply: “I can’t answer that, because I need to keep my options open.” (Sounds like a senator, doesn’t it?) But, without specific goals — milestones on your journey to employment — how can you measure your progress and improve your efforts? You can’t. Note: Specific goals require numbers and dates. Example: “I will make phone calls until I set up 5 networking meetings by Friday, January 9.” It’s tempting to set a goal that’s process-oriented, like this: “I will make 20 networking calls by Friday.” But your ideal result is meetings with employers, not phone calls. So make your goals outcome-oriented. In this case, the outcome you want is 5 meetings. Habit 4) Wait until circumstances are perfect Some people always seem to be waiting for something to happen first before they can really get busy looking for a job. Here typical excuses for inaction from unsuccessful job seekers: * I can’t go to any networking events until my resume is done.* I can’t contact any employers until I hear back from the recruiter I called yesterday. But there must be at least one thing you can do today to get in front of a hiring authority. What is it? Never put off taking action until circumstances are perfect — they never will be. Meanwhile, somebody else just got hired after attending a networking event without a resume, or calling an employer who “wasn’t hiring.” Now, go out and make your own luck! Kevin Donlin is Creator of TheSimpleJobSearch.com. Since 1996, he has provided job-search help to more than 20,000 people. Author of 3 books, Kevin has been interviewed by The New York Times, Fox News, CBS Radio and others. His latest product, The Simple Job Search System, is available at http://www.collegerecruiter.com/guaranteed-resumes.php Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities. If you are planning to re-enter the job market after any significant absence, the task may feel rather daunting. The following are some suggestions to help make your return to the job market a bit smoother. Keep your skills current: Whether you plan to return to your previous field or to change fields, make sure your transferable skills are strong. Transferable skills would include problem solving, critical thinking, organizing, planning, communicating – the skills you develop or hone in one setting but can transfer to another setting. Different than your knowledge skills, which are typically industry specific (even job specific), transferable skills can benefit you in any and all work (and non-work) environments. An excellent feature of transferable skills is that you don’t necessarily have to be working to keep these skills strong. Here are a few examples:
Make time for networking: If you will be changing career fields, aside from the suggestions above, look into memberships in professional associations (try International Directory for Professional Associations or Weddles Association Directory) for your new field. Contact the president of your local chapter for an information interview. Individuals who hold officer positions in professional associations are typically very enthusiastic about the field and are often interested in helping new professionals establish their careers. Conduct additional information interviews with several industry professionals, remembering to ask for 1-2 more contacts in the process. Again, remember that networking is a two-way street. Think of ways you can give back to your professional community and always be prepared to lend a hand to others seeking entry into the field. Stay organized:
If you think the above examples seem reminiscent of resume statements, you’re right. Your notebook will act as a storehouse of information that may eventually make its way into your resume. At the very least, the contents of your notebook will help you remember the activities in which you were involved and the skills you developed so that you can better articulate these in future interviews. Keep your contacts organized. Whether you store your contacts on your phone, PDA or online, or you collect business cards and write your contacts down in a book, make sure you are tracking and dating the interactions you make. Include a summary of the interaction and any actions that need to be taken. For example, if Anne Williams suggests that you send her a resume, record it down as an action item. Also note the date when you’ve completed the action. Make sure you follow up with your contacts with a thank you note if they have provided you with some information, their time, new contacts or job leads. Remember to note down if you’ve given a resume or any other materials to a contact. If you update your resume in the future, it will be helpful for you to know to whom specific documents have been sent. “I am horribel when it comes to testing. I can do practice exams and score well, (like on the ACT, I scored really high on the practice test but bombed the real test), but always do terrible under real testing settings. I want to take the GRE in a real test setting as a practice. Then take it again. What do you think?” Generally speaking, I would not advise you to take the GRE more than once in a five year period. ETS sends all of the test scores you have received in the past five years to each institution you have indicated. Unless you are certain that your scores will be significantly different the second time you take the GRE, then it is best to only take the GRE once. Since the practice tests that GRE offers through its PowerPrep software emulate the real exam, you may want to “re-create” testing conditions by having a friend or family member “proctor” your exam – making sure you are being timed and that the conditions closely resemble a real testing environment. It sounds like you have significant test anxiety. If you haven’t done so already, you might consider checking with your school’s academic advising (or similar) office. Many schools have professional staff that can assist with a variety of study and test preparation needs. Best of luck! I hope this helps. |
