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.

Particularly in the current job market, “just in case” never happens.  Employers have more job applicants than they need.  Employers do not need to take a chance by hiring someone who isn’t a very good fit with the job requirements.

These job seekers are wasting their time by:

• Spending all their time and energy searching job boards for possibilities and applying for every job they think they might be able to do.
  Fewer than 14% of all jobs filled in 2009 were filled through job boards!  Fewer than 14 in 100 people who were hired today (and yesterday and last month) connected with those jobs through job boards.  Yes, job boards can be useful, but spending a lot of time on the job boards is really not productive.
• Using a generic resume that is not focused on the positions they apply for.
  I’ve seen a job seeker applying for project management jobs with a resume that was focused on his last job as a marketing analyst.  Yes, he was involved in several projects in his marketing analyst job, but his resume didn’t make that connection clear by describing those accomplishments.  Instead, it focused on his marketing duties.  Consequently, he was never called in for interviews, but he blamed the lack of response on his age (over 50).
• Skipping the cover message that connects the dots for the employer and sells their accomplishments as the solution to the employer’s “problem.”
  When you’re pumping out 10 or 15 applications a day, you don’t have the time or energy to customize a cover letter.  “Attached find my resume” doesn’t show much interest in the job. And potential employers notice that lack of interest.
• Not researching the employer before applying for a job with that employer.
  They haven’t visited the employer’s Website, don’t know what the employer does, don’t know the products and/or services.  To a famous telecommunications company, a job seeker sent a resume “in case you have any jobs related to communications.”  In case this multi-billion dollar, international telecommunications company had any jobs related to communications!  Seriously?  That lack of knowledge and/or lack of effort made the job seeker look dumb and uninformed.  Their lack of interest certainly showed.
• Not bothering to follow up on any of their applications or resume submittals.
  Some employers and recruiters view a lack of follow up as a lack of interest.  If you were really interested in the job, you’d at least give them a call.
• Not monitoring their online reputations.
  If someone doesn’t interview them, it’s because the employer is “biased against people” like them (age, sex, race, sexual orientation, weight, height, whatever).   It doesn’t have anything to do with that nasty comment they made in an online forum or the person with the same name who was convicted of embezzlement.  Or if lack of employer response does have something to do with an online reputation issue, they don’t know because they don’t pay attention to  their online reputations.
  

These people really do waste their time and end up feeling like failures – “I applied for 300 jobs this month and didn’t get one interview!” No kidding!

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About the author…

Online job search expert Susan P. Joycehas 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.

Career Spotlight:

We added five new Job-Hunt articles in the last two weeks:

• 6 Keys to Online Executive Brand Communications
  In this article, Job-Hunt’s Personal Branding Expert Meg Guiseppi describes the 6 bases of brand communication.  While Meg’s article addresses executives, these principles apply to everyone, executive or not.
• Give This to Your Spouse When You Lose Your Job
  Job-Hunt’s Expert-at-Large GL Hoffman offers tips and advice for people who have lost their job, and, more specifically, for their spouses and families.
• The Very Visible “Invisible” Web
  Ideas and resources for job seekers to discover what the “invisible” Web tells employers about them by Job-Hunt’s Social Media & Job Search Expert Miriam Salpeter.
• Landing that Marketing & Sales Job
  If you are interested in a position in marketing or sales, learn the strategies sales people can use to make this most important sale – yourself into that new job – from Job-Hunt’s Marketing & Sales Job Search Expert Erin Kennedy.
• Monitoring Your Online Reputation
  Google Alerts are great tools to help you monitor your online reputation, by Job-Hunt’s Online Job-Search Expert Susan P. Joyce.

Good luck with your job search!

Career Spotlight:

We added four new articles this week:

• Green Careers for Non-Technical People
  In this article author Carol McClelland, Job-Hunt’s Green Industry Job Search Expert, describes career fields available in the green economy for people who are not scientists,  engineering, technical, or other trades people.
• Prepare a Winning Federal Job Application
  Preparing an application for a Federal job is a time consuming process requiring, for a successful application, quite a bit of work.  Job-Hunt’s Federal Government Job Search Expert Camille Carboneau Roberts helps job seekers evaluate opportunities to see if they are worth the time and effort to apply.
• Networking Tips for 50+ Job Seekers
  Another great, short video from AARP, this time with networking tips and advice for job seekers over 50.
• Heat Up Your Job Search: Be Proactive
  Susan P. Joyce, Job-Hunt’s Online Job Search Expert, offers ideas for conducting a proactive (vs. a reactive) job search.

Good luck with your job search!

Career Spotlight:

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.
• Your Information Gathering Style Impacts Your Job Search
  Most of us are unaware of the impact of our personal preferences on our lives.  In this article by Job-Hunt’s Career Assessments Expert Susan Guarneri, you’ll see how your preferred method of gathering information impacts your job search and how you can adjust your style to be most effective.
• Capturing Your Invisible Skills
  You probably have skills relevant, even important, to your job search that you are leaving off your resume.  In this article, Job-Hunt’s Careers for Academics Expert Dr. Kate Duttro helps you dig out and recognize the value of those skills in your job search. 
• Networking for the Networking Phobic
  Networking gets a bad rap by many job seekers, but networking is not only critical to a successful job search, networking can also be fun.  Read this article by Susan P. Joyce, Job-Hunt’s Online Job Search Expert, to find out how.

Good luck with your job search!

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.

So, How Does a PROactive Job Search Work?

1.  Focus the job search -

• Determine the target job and industry so that search efforts can be focused and the resume can be effectively polished and tailored specifically for those target jobs (not more than 2 or 3).
• Select the preferred target employers – ask around: check the local chamber of commerce, look at the companies supporting the local PBS channels, scan the yellow pages in the local phone book, ask friends and colleagues, and keep researching.
• Research the employers and visit the employer Websites regularly looking for postings there and news about new projects, products, services, and employees and officers.

2.  Expand network and knowledge:

• Join or at least visit local business or professional organization meetings.
  Volunteer to help in some way.  Attend meetings as a way to learn and keep up-to-date with best practices, news, technology, people, growing businesses, and more
• Volunteer for the local PBS fund raiser, where local movers-and-shakers tend to hang out, or for another favorite cause or charity.
• Visit industry trade shows and local business expos to see what new businesses have appeared, what the latest news and trends are, and who seems to be doing new and/or interesting things.
• Help a favorite candidate to win (or try to win) an election.
• Collect information.  Ask for information, NOT a job!
  And, the more information; the better!  Talk with people to collect information on good employers in the location and industry or field. Look for trends, news, new people to meet, and new ideas to consider and discuss.
• If the job seeker has attended a college or university, regardless of graduation status, the school’s career center may help alumni. Check the alumni directory for other alums who work for one of the preferred potential employers or in the preferred career field.
• Look for a local job search support group where job seekers, lead by a career professional, review resumes, exchange leads on potential employers, share information on networking organizations, and more. Find them through the local places of worship, public library, or even city hall.

3.  Leverage LinkedIn and other social media -

Truly! LinkedIn is where recruiters are looking for people now! Let them find you!

• Be sure the LinkedIn Profile is 100% complete (including a photo + 3 LinkedIn recommendations).
• Add contacts to expand the reach of the network.
• Use the advanced People search to find people working for the preferred potential employers and the target job/job function.
• Join relevant and appropriate industry, professional, and location-focused Groups.
  Participating in the Group Discussions can be important personal reputation building.  Also check each Group’s Job postings to find more employers and opportunities.

  Consider joining Job-Hunt’s Job-Hunt Help Group on LinkedIn, but do NOT limit LinkedIn Group activities to the job search Groups.

• Respond thoughtfully and thoroughly to the questions in Answers, and carefully post a few well-considered questions.

Hundreds of employers skip the cost of job boards and use Twitter to Tweet their latest hot job postings, and they also have company pages on Facebook where they recruit new employees.

Note: Use the same “avatar” image, preferably a headshot, on all the social media so your friends will recognize you no matter where they find you.

4.  Find new potential employers.

• Use the “job aggregator” Websites, like Indeed, SimplyHired, and JustJobs which collect job postings from job boards as well as employers and associations in one gigantic database searchable by keywords (like job title) and location.
• Check out LinkUp.com, which aggregates job postings from thousands of employers,  and JOBcentral, which is a Website run by an organization of employers.  Also excellent sources of new employers.

Be wary of getting caught in the search-online-and-apply mode, though.  Use these sources to identify potential employers which can then be approached via a network contact.

5.  Monitor your online reputation.

Ignore people who might tease you about “vanity Googling” – Google your name often to see what is attached to it in Google, because 80% of the time employers will Google you before they respond to your email or ask you in for an interview.

I have seen bad information about someone with the same name really mess up a job seeker’s job search, and it took the job seeker months to find out.  They waited way too long before they finally Googled themselves to see what was going on.  

MONTHS were lost because of confusion around the job applicant’s name!

Set up a Google Alert to monitor your name so you know when trouble appears – someone with the same name is accused of molesting a child or robbing a bank.  You need to know so you can respond!

Review the information in the Online Reputation Management post for more information and some strategies to deal with “digital dirt.”

Bottom Line

A proactive job search, largely disconnected from traditional job boards, is more effective and less competitive.  If you are in a job search right now, try it for a week and see what happens.

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About the author…

Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce 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.

Find more AARP resources on Job-Hunt:

• AARP Interview Tips – another great video from AARP
• AARP Resume Kit – a free ebook from AARP
• 9,000 jobs from AARP’s 2009 Top Employers for Job Seekers Over 50

Also check out Job-Hunt’s Boomer Job Search articles and information by Job-Hunt’s Boomers Job Search Expert Phyllis Mufson.

Career Spotlight:

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.
• Introvert’s Path to Job Search Success
  Job-Hunt’s Introverts’ Job Search Expert Wendy Gelberg describes the path successful introverts use to find a job, capitalizing on an introvert’s natural tendencies.
• Fortune 500 Recruiters Interview: Western Union
  Job-Hunt’s Fortune 500 Job Search Expert Laura Labovich, a former Fortune 500 recruiter herself, shares a fascinating and VERY illuminating interview with two senior level recruiters at Western Union. If you think social media is irrelevant to your job search, read this!
• Making Your Own Job Search Luck
  Scientific research has shown that good luck “charms” do help people succeed in fields as diverse as golf and puzzle solving.  So Susan P. Joyce, Job-Hunt’s Online Job Search Expert applied that research to the job search. Try it!  It works!

Good luck with your job search!

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.

This month’s topic: “Networking.” Responses from others contributors are linked at the end.  For updates, follow our hashtag #CareerCollective on Twitter. (A new window will open.)

“We get by with a little help from our friends…”

That’s what the Beatles told us in 1967, and many times that line has run through my mind when yet another good thing has happened for me as the result of the actions of one of my friends.  Or when I help a friend out with something.

On the other hand, when I talk with job seekers, I often hear comments like:

• “I hate networking!”
• “Networking is just another name for using people!”
• “Networking doesn’t work for me.  Going to an event.  Collecting business cards.  What’s the point?  It just doesn’t work.”

Those are comments I hear often from people who are struggling in their job search.  Because if you aren’t doing well in your networking, your job search will be harder and longer.

Making Networking Events Work for You

They don’t need to be painful. Really!

Do’s -

• Take your lucky charm(s) with you.  Scientific research shows that they do help you feel more confident!  This is good for networking.
• Go to events that are at least marginally interesting to you, and attend more than one meeting. Strangers and unfamiliar faces become more comfortable the second (and third and fourth) time around.
• If possible, volunteer to work the sign-in or registration table.  Everyone attending the event will probably sign-in, collect a name tag, etc., so you will get a chance to see who’s attending and speak with them for a moment or two.  Then the people attending will no longer be strangers.  You’ll be able to connect names to faces, and perhaps pick up more information like employers and locations.
• Set a reasonable “stretch” goal for the event, like connecting with 3 new people, or reconnecting with 3 people you spoke with at an earlier meeting plus 2 new people, or whatever is appropriate for you and the event.
• Find a non-job-search-related topic to discuss when you first meet someone, if there isn’t already a topic under discussion.  Something unthreatening, but somewhat interesting  - the food (if any), the traffic, the venue.  Do your best to avoid religion and politics!
• Try to learn about your new friends – what music or movies they like, hobbies they have, dream vacation spots, window or aisle in airliner seating preference, etc.  You’ll remember them more readily later, determine if there is a basis for long-term friendship, and the conversation won’t be focused on you.
• Research the group and the officers, if any, before you go so that you at least seem to be interested and well informed.
• Have your networking/business cards in your pocket, ready to hand out at the appropriate time.  And, when someone gives you a card – read it immediately.  Then, put it into a different pocket from the one holding your cards so that you don’t accidentally hand it to someone else.

Don’ts -

• Don’t be ”fashionably late” – it destroys the possibility of meeting new people at the beginning of the event when there are typically fewer people in attendance, and it’s easier to start a conversation.  So, try to arrive shortly after the event begins.
• Don’t attend with the intention of “working the room.”  That IS bad networking!
• Don’t tell everyone you meet that you are job hunting at the beginning of the conversation or make your job search the primary topic of every conversation. It makes some people uncomfortable, and others maybe leary of what you want from them.  And, your job search is  all me-me-me, which is exactly the wrong approach.
• Don’t ask everyone for a job.
• Don’t look past someone with whom you are having a conversation to see if there is anyone “better” to talk with in the room.  Do mind your manners.

For more information:

________________________

The Career Collective, July, 2010, Topic:

How did members of the Career Collective respond? Follow us on Twitter with our hashtag #careercollective, and read these posts.  Each link opens a new page when clicked:

Career Spotlight:  Are you naturally snoopy?  Love putting puzzles together, particularly complex, 1000+ piece puzzles?  Enjoy studying people and what motivates them?  You might enjoy being a Detective.  The average salary is $61,000/year.  Fifty-four percent have college degrees, and the predicted 10-year job growth is expected to be 17%. More information on this and other careers in Job-Hunt’s Career Changers’ Guide.

We also introduced four new articles this week:

• Age Discrimination in Job Loss
  If you’re over 40 and unemployed, you probably suspect that your age has something to do with your employment status.  In this article by Job-Hunt’s Boomer Job Search Expert Phyllis Mufson, Phyllis interviewed labor attorney Mark Risk to understand, in general, what age discrimination in job loss is and how to address it.
• C-Suite Power Play: Get Social
  This is the 3rd of a 5-article series named C-Suite Power Plays by Job-Hunt’s Executive Job Search Expert Deb Dib.  In this one, Deb encourages executive job seekers not to ignore social media.
• 4 Truths of Career Transition
  As someone who started her most-recent career transition in 2006, Job-Hunt’s Job Search for Women Expert Deborah Shane examines some of the truths she has discovered in her journey that can help all of us. 
• Being Brilliantly Visible
  In a competitive job market, job seekers need to stand out, and in this article by Job-Hunt’s Job Search Marketability Expert Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter learn some methods of becoming “brilliantly” visible to potential employers. 

Good luck with your job search!