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Top 10 Job Search Mistakes

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  1. Poorly written or designed resume. The resume is used as a quick screening device by most employers. If it doesn't strike them as outstanding, your chances of an interview may be nil. The resume should describe education and experience in a concise, well-written format. More importantly, it should emphasize accomplishments over duties and responsibilities.
  2. Failure to network. Friends, acquaintances and people you know should be encouraged to help in developing job leads.
  3. Limiting job sources. Classified ads, employment agencies and other sources are often overlooked. Use all possible methods to learn of appropriate jobs.
  4. Canned approach. Preprinted cover letters, quick and unimaginative phone calls and generic resumes save time for the candidate but turn off employers who feel they will take shortcuts in carrying out job responsibilities.
  5. A short work week. For the unemployed, the job search should be a 40-plus-hour-per-week proposition. You don't get a job by only using a part of your free time.
  6. Inadequate interview preparation. Each situation is a separate challenge and requires unique preparation. Responses must be timely, flexible and address the specific needs of the employers.
  7. Poor interview techniques. A "give-and-take" honest relationship must be established during the interview. Candidates should exchange information while listening attentively, selling themselves and demonstrating enthusiasm for the job and the company.
  8. Restricted job search. Restrictions on geographical locations, commuting time, parking facilities, size and type of employer and other personal matters should be secondary to the overall merit of an opportunity. Financial and professional pressures may also change your outlook later and make the opportunity more feasible. Remember that you can always decline a job offer if it is judged to be unattractive or a better one develops.
  9. Negative attitude. Candidates who "have all the answers, criticize their managers and second-guess employers" are seldom invited for second interviews. Negative attitudes toward prior jobs are seen as predictors of future performance.
  10. Poor physical appearance. While there is no need to look like a movie star, candidates who do not demonstrate self-respect by creating a positive image are usually judged to be unacceptable.

    11. Source: Costello, Erdian, & Company (a national outplacement counseling and human resources consulting firm, 690 Cannon Street, Westwood, MA 02090-2322).

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