7 Biggest Job Search MISTAKES and How To Avoid Them

The primary driver of how long it takes a job to fill is how much competition and talent shortage there is. As companies find it harder to find ‘the right fit’, the time to fill the job gets longer. The good news is that it is an indicator that the economy is seeing a move back toward a job seeker's market versus an employer's market. Armed with that knowledge, what follows are the 7 biggest job searching mistakes and how to avoid them:

1. Having a résumé that focuses on you and your past! Potential employers don’t care about your career goals, job objectives, or work history, UNLESS you can show them how it affects their bottom line.
2. Spending the majority of your job search time on published job openings. Why? Because, you're putting yourself right in the middle of it where everyone else is. If you want a long and painful job search campaign, keep answering ads and visiting agencies.
3. Using the shotgun approach to sending out your résumé. The theory goes something like this: if you throw enough paper into the market, the law of averages has to work for you. At some point someone will want me. WRONG! The only law at work here is that the printing company, the post office and the job websites are going to get rich.
4. Wasting your time sending a résumé that is not specifically targeted. Broad distribution of your résumé is the least productive way to look for a job.
5. Failing to follow up. Don't even bother with a job search campaign at all if you don't plan to follow up personally - by phone, mail and e-mail.
6. Waiting for the phone to ring. If your attitude is, "I've got great looking credentials, lots of experience, an excellent work history . . . so here I am -- come get me!". . . you're in for a long, long job search. You have to take the initiative. Pick up the phone and find out what's happening.
7. Interviewing like a WIMP. You get only one shot at the person who could be your next boss. You better come across like a pro. That means: be prepared . . . be rehearsed . . . be assertive. If you're not in control of the interview process YOU'RE OUT!