How to Avoid Common Job Seeking Mistakes

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By magnadea
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Avoid Common Job Seeking Mistakes

Finding a job when unemployment is high and the jobs are few, is difficult. Even when you find the ideal job or company to work for, there are a long line of other job hopefuls ready, willing and able to work. There are certain steps a job seeker can take to increase the odds that they will find employment and avoid common job seeking mistakes.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Resume paper
Access to a computer

Step 1

DON'T RELY ON NEWSPAPER WANT ADS OR ONLINE JOB WEBSITES. Only a small percentage of all available jobs are listed in print ads or online employment sites. Find jobs by networking, cold calling and following the news. Networking is not a new way to find a job, but you might look at some ways to network that you haven't considered before. Unemployed professional support groups or volunteer work are two places you might not have thought about. Cold calling when looking for a job, involves taking your resume to the company and the person you want to get an interview with, despite there not being an advertised job opening. This will take some research into what companies you'd like to work for, if they have jobs you are qualified to do, and who best to try to contact within the company. You may not make it past the receptionist, but you can still leave a note attached to your resume to the person you were cold calling. This will separate you from the pack and show initiative. As for following the news, pay attention to new develops for a company or an industry that might signal growth, like new products or expansion. Don't wait for the job announcements. Get your resume there first with a cover letter that cites the new product or expansion, to signal that you know the company.
Step 2

TAKE THE TIME TO PREPARE A KNOCK-OUT WINNING RESUME. Don't just list your work history, quantify your accomplishments. Identify a project and any specific savings of time or money. If you are in management, discuss numbers of employees that you have lead. Tailor your resume for the specific company, or industry, you are seeking a job with. Don't use colored paper, but you might want to use a little heavier resume paper so that your resume feels different from the other job applicants. Keep your resume as short as possible.
Step 3

BE PREPARED FOR YOUR INTERVIEW. Do research on the company and their industry. If they have major products, know something about them. Also find information about your interviewer or the leadership of the company. Know the job responsibilities for the job you are interested in, and be prepared to tell how you can accomplish them and why you are the best candidate for the job. Ask meaningful questions. Employers like it when employees are interested enough to ask questions about the job, the company, and any future company plans.
Step 4

DON'T LET THEM SEE YOU SWEAT. It is one thing to show enthusiasm for the job or the company, but as a job seeker you do not want to appear desperate. If you seem like you are desperate for any job, then the employer might think that you aren't really interested in coming to work for their company, but merely just looking for a paycheck. Not a good way to impress an interviewer.