Job Search Techniques: How to Fail a Job Search

It’s so easy to mess up your job search that everyone does it. You will almost certainly find a technique that you have applied in your search for employment. You may even find your job hunt problem.

Job Search Technique #1: Do nothing, or mostly nothing. Assume that there are no jobs out there, or there are too many qualified candidates to conduct a successful search.

Job Search Tip #2: Say nothing. Never talk about being out of work or underemployed. The surest way to never get a job, is to never ask for one. The second surest way to fail a job search is to never mention to people you know that you’d like a job. If you really want to mess up your life, stay in your house and pull the curtains on the world.

Tip #3: Search online postings for 8-12 hours a day. Jobs are filled by people, not computers, so you must interact with people before you get the job. A successful job hunt might involve finding who the hiring manager and trying to contact him. But that’s a successful job search technique, so you wouldn’t want to try that! Heaven forbid that you doggedly call someone to find out who is in charge!

Tip #4: Apply for dozens of jobs a day. Is a numbers game, right? Nope. It’s a matter of conveying that you are the exact right person for the job. If you are applying for every job, then you are wasting your time and the time of the people whose jobs you are applying to. At the very least confirm that the job which you are applying to exists. An easy way to confirm that the job exists is to ask when the start date is. Sadly, not all postings are for jobs that actually are being filled.

Tip #5: Don’t bother to tailor your resume to the language of the post. Don’t bother tailoring your cover letter to the language of the posting. Its logic, isn’t it. As more and more jobs get posted on job boards, searching these millions of jobs requires a computer. How does a person search millions of resumes–by entering search words, of course. You resume should use the same language as the posting for it to show up in the search. Don’t lie, just use the same language to describe the same type work.

Tip #6: Give up. The average job search takes 3 months. If you expect to be paid more than $100K it can take 5 months. Some of the more effective job search techniques take a long time to work. Networking is best done when you still have a job, not started when you walk out the door. So don’t expect overnight results, because getting a job is about building the relationships that lead you to the right position.

Did you find your job search problem among these stellar, idiotic job search techniques? Most people looking for jobs today have one or more of these problems–and some won’t admit it.

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Job Search Techniques: How to Introduce Yourself

Nobody thinks of an introduction as being the first step in a job search, but it is. Whenever you meet someone new, you have the opportunity to expand the network of people who are looking for your next job. But introducing yourself as “jobless” is almost as embarrassing as introducing yourself as “homeless”–so of course people neglect this powerful networking opportunity and job search technique.

Reintroduce the introduction as your go-to job search technique.

Job search tip #1: Expand your job search network. Learn how to introduce yourself to new and different people. Set your goal to practice the introduction and also to meet people within your field.

But, it’s still uncomfortable, right? Try to introduce yourself by name only followed by a quick question about the person you are talking to. “Oh, Joe, you work at XYZ, do you like your job?” Once you talk to them for a few minutes they will normally ask what you do. Here’s where you practice the hard part. Practice saying, “I’m looking for work right now.” You can either continue talking about you, or shift back to talking about their career. I suggest that you talk about them. Continue your introduction by introducing them.

Tip #2: Introduce them to you, instead of introducing you to them. It’s uncomfortable to talk about you, so talk about them first and allow the bits an pieces about you come out second. Remember your goal right now is not landing a job, but expanding who you know.

If you get a chance talk about the challenges in their industry to demonstrate how much you listened and insight you can provide. You are building trust with a new contact.

Tip #3: Prove who you are, instead of saying who you are. The more you can talk intelligently with this new contact, the more you prove your mettle and increase trust with this contact. It’s networking, done effectively and comfortably. Your job search benefits from an impressed contact.

Tip #4: Allow the relationship to grow naturally. For this job search technique to be effective, the relationship needs to grow. Relationships take time. So ask the person for a business card, or ask if you can link to them on LinkedIn. A few days from now you will recommend them on LinkedIn. That will remind them of you and cause them to keep you in mind for opportunities when they present.

Introductions should never be high pressure. Not even in job searches should introductions be forced or moved faster than the level of trust that underlies the relationship. Done correctly, in a low pressure environment, an introduction can be easy and an important job search technique. After all, it’s not just what you know but who you know that lands you the job.

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