Yet again, a job seeker has posted an announcement about his availability with a description of himself as a “fast-learning, analytical problem-solver” who is “flexible” and “keeping his options open.” No details on skills, experience, accomplishments, or – worst of all - any indication of the job he is looking for.
Would this work for a sales person with a product or service to sell?
“This is my service – fast-learning, analytical, problem-solving. You, my potential customer, figure out how you (or someone you know) can use my service, and then please buy (or refer me to someone you know who might buy)!”
It would be much more effective and actionable if he described the problems he has analyzed and solved (family, marketing, medical, financial, or?) because most of us have problems that need solving.
Until he invests the time and effort into figuring out the job he wants (the problems he can solve) - he’s impossible to hire!
To Get Hired, Get Focused!
AFTER you know what you want, tell us, and we’ll be happy to help you. In fact, we will be much better able to help you when we know what you’re looking for.
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So, YOU take the time to figure out what you want to do. ONLY YOU know what you want to do. The rest of us don’t know, and very, VERY few of us have the time, talent, interest, and luck to figure it out for you.
Picking your target job(s) and your target employers is YOUR job right now!
Find help here:
- Your state’s employment office (links by state) has people whose job is to help you find work.
- If you have attended a college, that college probably has a career center with people who can help.
- Your local bookstore and, probably, public library, have a book named “What Color Is Your Parachute?” by Richard N. Bolles. It’s been an enormous help to me whenever I’ve faced a job search. It doesn’t take long to read, and it is extremely helpful (which is why over 10,000,000 copies have been bought).
Bottom Line:
To be easy to hire, work on your “elevator speech” – a 15 second summary of what you want to do and who you want to do it for. Don’t “keep your options open” – keep your eyes and ears open, and stay focused. For more tips, read Be Easy to Hire: Don’t Make Them Think.
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About the author…
Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce, USMC veteran, has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then. Follow Susan on Twitter at @JobHuntOrg.
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I totally agree with your blog. After you decide exactly what you want to be when you grow up, you must be agressive by following up on your job applications. Rejection is a hard thing to swallow, but it’s important to get over that if you are going to land your next job. I like your suggestion of getting “2 go aways” before you add that job opening to your “dead” folder.
[...] your options open” (in other words, not knowing or communicating what you job want – see this post about that major mistake), this is the next most out-dated job search belief I [...]
[...] Impossible to Hire! [...]