Top 5 Job Search Blunders - CareerAlley

Top 5 Job Search Blunders - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. For every item you need to get right for your job search, there are probably 100 things you dont want to get wrong. The top 5 mistakes most job seeker make are listed below. Following are a few tips on things to avoid. 1. You Dont Have a Brand: Overkill Your brand is critical to your job search, but it should not be your entire focus. Be careful not to go overboard by creating an exhaustive four or five-page resume that highlights every everything youve ever done in your career. You Dont Have a Purpose You seem to be all things to all people and have not defined a purpose. If you are not focused on who you are and what you want you dont really have a marketable brand. 2. Too ManyJob Search Boards: Limit the Number of Sites You Use: If you use more than 2 or 3 job search sites you should consider cutting down. Depending on the sites you use, most of the major sites have similar (if not the same) job opportunities.You should use: One major site such as SimplyHired or Indeed.com LinkedIn (see5 Tips for Creating a Professional LinkedIn Profile) One site which focuses on your career type (seeIndustries Professions Career Sites) Focus on the Most Recent Opportunities: Most job opportunities are posted and filled within a few days. Set your search criteria to jobs posted within the last 7 days. 3. You Dont Manage Your Time: As you are no doubt aware, job search can bevery time consuming. Its so easy to go off on a tangent and not accomplish much in terms of your job search. Try the following: Create a job search plan (see Job Search Planning). Use the one a day method which is submit at least one job application a day through one of the sites mentioned in item #2 above. Balance your time by alternating your job search resource (company career sites, job search boards, recruiters and your network). 4. More is not always Better: While I strongly believe that the more people who know you are looking for a job, the better your chances for finding a job, I dont believe that you should use any of the services that blast or mass deliver your resume to hundreds or thousands of potential employers. This method is likely to result in your resume looking like spam.Targeted search (applying for specific opportunities) is still the best method. This allows you to personalize your application (by using a specific cover letter) and control the distribution of your resume (what would happen if you current boss was on the mass mailing list?). 5. Your Resume has Errors (or Worse): Your resume is your first point of contact with hiring managers and recruiters. If you want to get a chance to interview and ultimately the job, you will need to ensure that your resume is perfect. With all of the competition in todays job market, anything less that perfection is likely to get your resume tossed. Spell check dont always work as planned and grammar checkers even less so. If your resume has basic typographical errors it is highly unlikely that you will get an interview. Even if youve checked your resume several times, there is still a chance that you have some errors or have maybe phrased something that could be hard to understand. The best method for proofreading your resume is to have a friend or relative check it for errors. Career Tip of the Day:7 Plus Things You Dont Want on Your Resume Suggested Reading:No Mistakes Interviews: How To Get The Job You Want (No Mistakes Careers Book 2) We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey Google+ what where job title, keywords or company city, state or zip jobs by What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to identify and land your dream job. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search