Seven Mistakes To Avoid When Job Hunting

• 2-minute read •
One morning about a year ago, I was quietly sipping coffee and watching the news when the phone rang. I looked at caller ID and sighed with relief: I’d been waiting for this call.

“So, how’d it go?” I asked immediately.

There was a sigh on the other end of the line, “Terrible,” came the voice. “I came on way too strong.”

Before I could ask him to elaborate, he continued: “And I got lost on my way over...so I was a little late...”

Read More

Seven Habits of Highly Successful Job Seekers

In the job search craze, there are those who land a job right away and those who struggle through the process of finding one for a long time. ‘Luck’ is usually the response one hears from disenfranchised job seekers when they find out that their neighbor down the street was offered a position after only a two-week search. With many job seekers vying for only a few open positions, the truth is that ‘luck’ rarely has anything to do with it.

Realizing that their job search campaign doesn’t have to be a never-ending struggle, successful job seekers approach the process with patience and persistence. If you want to be among the highly successful job seekers follow the seven steps outlined below.

1. Search with purpose
Instead of trying to fit into a mold set by a hiring organization, target companies that match your goals and career values; doing this will allows you to focus your energy into searching for a position that is a natural fit.

After all, you don’t want to find yourself embarking on another search within a year’s time because you made a decision in haste.

2. Always be prepared
Be ready for your day’s activities by 9 am. Opportunities rarely land on your lap and you have to be prepared for the surprises that may come up during the day. You don’t want to be caught sleeping when someone calls to discuss an employment opportunity.

If you find yourself answering the phone like this: "hello? . . . well . . . um . . . well, like I was kinda sleeping. . . how long is this gonna take? . . . who are you again? . . . like I, um, contacted so many places, cuz, you know, like, I can't like find a job . . ." then it is time to reprioritize your needs.

Waiting until your unemployment insurance is about to end before you begin aggressively looking for a position can be a costly mistake. You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you are running low on resources and desperation is about to set in. This is when mistakes are made and your job search may begin to suffer.

3. Develop a job search plan
Organize your job search, map out a strategy, set priorities, and establish goals. Begin your search with a clear focus and a plan. Participate in a number of activities including answering classified ads, posting your resume on the Internet, and going on informational interviews.

4. Bypass Human Resources
A human resources representative is also known as a “screener.” The screener’s job is to review resumes and match your experience with a checklist of requirements set forth by the hiring manager. If there are enough matches, the human resources representative forwards the resume to the decision maker.

Unfortunately, not much is left to the screener’s interpretation. This is why most opportunities are lost – because the screener doesn’t have the luxury of making a decision based on instinct; he or she is instructed to follow the lead of the hiring manager.

Since the decision makers (e.g., VP of Sales, Director of Marketing, or CEO) are the ones who determine who is ultimately hired, it is advisable that you apply directly to them.

5. Write follow-up letters
Well-written follow up letters can make a difference as to whether you get hired. A follow-up letter is more than a simple note thanking the interviewer for his or her time. It should be a sophisticated letter that either re-affirms your interest in the position, serves as an opportunity to mention an important point you neglected to bring up, and/or provides an opportunity to offer new insight on a topic that was discussed during the interview.

6. Avoid toxic job seekers
Job clubs are a great way to generate ideas and for networking purposes. However, some are also a breeding ground for negativity. These support groups can inadvertently affect your job search. Take inventory of the job seekers in attendance. Do they offer words of encouragement? Are they supportive of your efforts, or do they feed into your insecurities?

If after such meetings you feel emotionally drained and start to believe your chances of landing a job are bleak, then it’s time to search for a new support team.

7. Be good to yourself
There are two types of job seekers. One, that has a laid back approach, and the other that always feels "there aren’t enough hours in the day" and compulsively searches for a job without taking a breather.

Following in the footsteps of the latter is the fastest way to reaching burn out and when careless mistakes are often made. Though your job search should be your primary activity, don’t allow it to consume your every waking moment.

Every so often take a mini vacation; spend time with people who support you, listen to music and participate in activities you enjoy. Clearing your mind replenishes your energy and will allow you to continue searching for a job with a fresh outlook.

Seven Ways to Brighten Your Office Day

On average, we spend more than a third of our waking hours at work and as many as 25 per cent of us put in up to sixty hours a week, making the British the hardest workers in Europe. Our desks become more than just a place to do work; they are used for eating, drinking and even sleeping. So take time out to brighten your day and make your office work for you.

Here are seven tips to put some ‘life’ back into your working day.

De-clutter your desk

A recent survey revealed that workers are falling victim to ‘Irritable Desk Syndrome’, with 40 per cent of office staff admitting that their desks were normally piled high with files, dirty mugs and scraps of paper, but most couldn’t be bothered to do anything about it.

Put aside some time in the morning to clear up your desk, organise your files and papers and give your computer screen and keyboard a wipe.

Be honest and ruthless with your re-organisation. As you pick up each item consider whether it really is useful to you. If not, then bin it. You will feel much more clearheaded and less distracted. Remember, everything has its place.

Get personal

According to the ancient Chinese science of feng shui, it is good to have something on your desk that reminds you of a non-work related part of your life such as a favourite picture of your children on holiday or Fido running after next door’s cat – anything that makes you smile and offers some light relief during stressful times at work.

Feng shui suggests that family pictures should be placed in the middle and top-right hand corners of your desk and other images, such as holiday’s snaps, need to be positioned on the left.

Get moving

The British Chiropractic Association recommends getting up from your desk every forty minutes to prevent joint pain, muscular tension and eye strain. Exercise in the middle of the day enables you to focus on something other than work and can leave you feeling re-energised and more productive for the rest of the day.

Allow time to get out of the office and go out for lunch or coffee instead of sitting at the desk where you spend so much of your day. Turn off your phone, Blackberry and laptop and take some ‘me-time’ away form work. These may seem like frivolous acts but you will return to work feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

Chill out

Take time out for yourself. If you are staying at your desk turn on your iPod or mp3 player and drown out the office noise with sounds you enjoy listening to. Better still, find a quiet part of the office, put your feet up, read a book or magazine, call a friend or take a different route to work.

Getting lost in an activity completely removed from your day to day duties is a great de-stressor and when you return to work you will be refreshed enough to take on the rest of the day.

Go green

…and give life to your desk by buying a plant. Research by the University of Surrey revealed that plants can decrease stress while enhancing productivity by 12%.

And, another study by Oxford Brookes University showed that indoor plants offer a guarantee of positively enhancing perception and contributing to the well being of office workers. Plants have even been proven to reduce the effects of office noise, too.

Avoid negativity and office politics

Staying out of office politics, avoiding backbiting colleagues and gossips can, given time, have a negative effect on you.

Using positive language creates an image in our minds that the subconscious soaks up. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania interviewed 350,000 executives and discovered that the top 10% performers held a higher sense of optimism.

Counteract negativity by focusing on the positives aspects of your work – the ‘neg-heads’ will soon realise that you won’t entertain their bemoaning. Where office politics are concerned, there are only losers and no winners.

Keep talking

It makes a huge difference to your working day if there is someone in your office that you have a personal connection with – not too personal, mind you, office affairs can end in tears and end careers. Someone you can go out for lunch with or have a drink with after work.

Workdays can be hectic and stressful, and without good people around you, the days can be difficult to get through. Sure, a company can create an atmosphere and work environment. But, when it comes down to it, if you don’t get along with your colleagues, you probably won’t enjoy your job. Plus, having friends at work helps your morale, and consequently the business.