We’ve had a fairly active discussion on Job-Hunt Help, Job-Hunt’s LinkedIn Group, about the biggest mistakes job seekers make.
The biggest mistake that I see job seekers make is “keeping [their] options open” which is another way of saying that they apply for EVERYTHING they see that they even remotely qualify for – “just in case…”
Applying for everything can temporarily give people the feeling that they are doing something for their job search, making some sort of progress (”I applied for 15 jobs today!”).
The problem is that the feeling they are making progress is an illusion, and the reality is that these job seekers are wasting their time and effort.
Career Spotlight: If you have a commercial drivers license or can pass the test to get one, you may want to look into becoming a Delivery Vehicle Driver. They earn an average of $28,000 /year, with expected 10-year job growth of 8%. This is a good job for someone without a college degree since only 4% hold a bachelor’s degree. More about other careers in Job-Hunt’s Career Changers’ Guide.
We added five new Job-Hunt articles in the last two weeks:
Job seekers can and should monitor their names using Google Alerts. Someone else with the same name who has done something shocking, unusual, or disreputable can negatively impact YOUR job search.
The vast majority of employers (79%!) do Google job applicants, and they won’t know if you are the person who robbed the bank or posed nude, but they probably won’t want to take a chance hiring that person. So, you will lose out, even if you were not the person who showed up in the Google search.
The best defense in this case is knowledge! Put Google to work for you and your job search!
Career Spotlight: If you are interested in working closely with doctors to help heart patients, being a cardiovascular technologist might be a good fit for you. The average annual salary is $47,000/year, and demand for people skilled in this profession is expected to grow 26% in the next 10-years, with 25% of cardiovascular technologists holding bachelor’s degrees. More about other careers in Job-Hunt’s Career Changers’ Guide.
Career Spotlight: Do you truly love – and have a talent for – making computers do what you want them to do? Are you successful in that pursuit? Then, you might want to consider a career as an Application Software Engineer. The average salary is $85,000 a year. Eighty-five percent of them have college degrees, and the expected 10-year job growth is 45%. For more information on this and other careers, check out Job-Hunt’s Career Changers’ Guide.
We introduced four new articles this week:
Over 50: Managing “the Age Issue”
Providing insight from a recruiter’s perspective in this article, recruiter and Job-Hunt’s Working with Recruiters Expert Jeff Lipschultz helps job seekers see the difference between being “over-qualified” and being a “seasoned veteran” and how they can help recruiters and potential employers see it, too.
Employers are Googling you. Do you know what they are finding?
Recently a colleague shared a very scary story about one of her clients that many job seekers should know about because recent research has shown that this is very likely not an uncommon event.
My colleague prepared a very professional resume for her client which he used in several months of job hunting.
After absolutely NO response to resume submissions in 4 months, they decided to Google him to see if something there might be causing a problem. BINGO! Read the rest of this entry »
A reactive job search puts the job seeker in the position of only reacting to what they find posted on job boards. This costs them time and energy, and hides the majority of job opportunities from them. It also puts them at the mercy of whatever is posted and available where they are looking, and it puts them in the most competitive job marketplace. All negatives.
A proactive job search puts the job seeker in charge, is much less passive, less discouraging, and, even, less competitive – often MUCH less competitive. Read the rest of this entry »
Job seekers over 40 and 50 often face interviews with younger managers and often feel the need to address several issues related to their age. This video from AARP provides some excellent advice on how to address those issues.
Career Spotlight: Do you keep track of your personal monthly spending, by category (food, movies, rent/mortgage, etc.), and plan and allocate your income accordingly? Do you have experience – or interest in – keeping the same kinds of records and making the same kinds of plans for a business or other large organization? You might enjoy being a Budget Analyst and Administrator. The average salary is $65,000/year. Seventy-eight percent have college degrees, and the predicted 10-year job growth is expected to be 7%. More information on this and other careers in Job-Hunt’s Career Changers’ Guide.
We also introduced four new articles this week:
First Jobs and Lessons Learned
With this insightful statement, “Where you go to school will never get you a job; what you choose to do with your education will,” Job-Hunt’s New Grads’Job Search Expert Chandlee Bryan launched her first article by sharing what she learned in her first jobs, both before and after college.
This week we are pleased to welcome Chandlee Bryan to the roster of career and job search professionals who are our Job-Hunt Experts. These knowledgeable and helpful people contribute monthly articles to Job-Hunt in their areas of expertise. Chandlee will be helping job seekers address the issues of finding that first job after college as the New Grads’ Job Search Expert.
Chandlee’s first article was posted this week, New Jobs, Rocket Science, and Lessons Learned, and in it Chandlee shared her background, including her first jobs and the take-away’s from those experiences.
Chandlee has a passion for helping new grads getting off to great starts in their careers, appropriate for someone with such a strong background in working with new grads, including several years working as a career counselor or Director of Career Services at the University of Pennsylvania and Dartmouth College.
Currently, Chandlee is the President and Founder of Best Fit Forward, a Manhattan based boutique consulting firm providing career management services to individuals and organizations. She is also one of the co-authors of the Twitter Job Search Guide (JIST 2010) and has over a dozen years of experience in connecting job seekers and entry-level employees.
Career Spotlight: If you have a commercial drivers license or can pass the test to get one, you may want to look into becoming a 
Career Spotlight: Do you truly love – and have a talent for – making computers do what you want them to do? Are you successful in that pursuit? Then, you might want to consider a career as an 
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