Top 10 Mistakes Job Seekers Make
By Connie Felder

More than 100 job seekers enter our Career Center daily. I asked our team of Career Advisors what they see as the biggest or most frequent mistakes made by job seekers. Here is what they said:

10) Job seekers do not take an honest self-inventory of what they have to offer an employer.
Unemployment can be a blessing and a curse. If you didn't see it coming, it can be immobilizing, stopping you dead in your tracks. But this temporary time out provides you with the perfect opportunity to re-examine how you spend more than 25% of your life. This process requires introspection and taking a hard look at who you are at this point in your life. This is particularly important if you have been working in a particular occupation, job or company for a long time.

Ask yourself what's important in your life, what makes you happy, what do you do best and what causes you the most stress. Greater self-knowledge regarding your interests, skills, and values will enable you to confidently respond to the question asked by every employer, either implicitly or explicitly, "Why do you want this job and why here?" Additionally, the more in tune you are with what you want and what you honestly have to offer, the more focused and therefore, successful your job search will be.

Self-exploration and assessment are facilitated by working with employment and career specialists. Many job seekers either underestimate or overestimate their skills, experience, and marketability. A career advisor or counselor can help you take an objective inventory of your interests, aptitudes, skills, and experience in the context of the current labor market and what's hot and what's not. As you network, seek feedback from hiring professionals, industry representatives, and people you know who are in your career field. Act upon this information by adjusting your job or career target and your job search techniques. If advised, pursue training to update your skills and enhance your marketability. Self assessment - the good, the bad and the ugly - is a critical first step for targeting a job search, creating your marketing brochure (the resume) and selling yourself as you network and interview.

9) Job seekers do not always take advantage of available support and resources.
So much of who we are is based on what we do. When we lose our jobs we feel we have lost ourselves and our identity. We lose the structure and fabric of our lives. That's how I have felt in periods of unemployment. Support during this period of "re-structuring" and the job search process is crucial to getting and staying on track. It is available in:

• Job Clubs and Job Seeker Groups - Examples include RochesterWorks' Friday morning Breakfast Clubs (held at our Downtown Career Center) and the Unemployed Resources Network (URN), which meets every other Wednesday. These networking and support groups allow job seekers to share experiences, job leads, and ask questions of employer guest speakers regarding the recruitment and hiring process.
• Outplacement Services and Career Centers - Take immediate advantage of outplacement services if your company makes these services available to you. Additionally, RochesterWorks! Career Centers are publicly funded to support and assist you in your job search. RochesterWorks! can also connect you to a wealth of community resources depending on your particular needs.
• Job and Career Fairs - These events are another opportunity to network with employers, trainers/educators and other job seekers, gather information and get feedback.
• Industry Associations and Professional Groups - Join and attend meetings regularly. Network daily with past associates, colleagues, and supportive friends and family. Spend time with positive people. Establish a routine and get out of the house every day.

8) Job Seekers are often not specific about the kinds of jobs they want making the job search process longer and less effective.
The more specific you are about the type of job you want, what industry sector and geographic area, the sooner you'll be successful in obtaining your employment or career goal.

A proactive job search requires knowing what you want and where to find it - not simply re-acting to job opportunities advertised by companies through job postings. A proactive job search involves uncovering job and career opportunities before they become public through networking or marketing. Time spent researching occupations, industry sectors, or employers can provide valuable information leading to a more focused job search. Databases of companies, like Dun & Bradstreet's Million Dollar Database at our Downtown Career Center, are available to help job seekers research and explore companies in particular industry sectors and regions. By establishing specific occupational or career goals you will be able to customize your job search plan and job search tools, like the resume, and achieve your employment goals in a shorter period of time.

7) Resumes that describe primarily routine job responsibilities and tasks rather then accomplishments.
Remember, the goal of the resume is to open a door and get you an interview. Resumes that focus on mere job duties and responsibilities are more likely to close the door to an interview because they do not tell a potential employer what you have done to help solve problems, grow customers, increase revenue, or reduce costs. How you have performed for a previous employer is the best predictor of what you will do for a new employer. Every employer wants employees to go above and beyond the minimal or routine tasks and responsibilities of the job. Stimulate the employer's imagination by painting a picture of what you can do for him/her by describing what you have done for others.

6) Job seeking behavior that places the job seekers' needs before the employer's.
As a hiring manager, this is my pet bugaboo. As an employer, I am primarily interested in what you can do for my organization, not what we can do for you. Does the objective statement on your resume read something like this: " Desire a position with a company in which I am able to utilize my skills and experience with an opportunity to grow and advance." If it does, you may be saying that you are more interested in what they can do for you versus what you can do for them.

When interviewing you need to focus on selling yourself to a company and how you can help them solve key problems. Until offered a job, don't ask questions about benefits, pay, or growth opportunities. Ask not what the company can do for you, but what you can do for the company.

5) Lack of salesmanship and going the extra mile to differentiate oneself from the competition.
Good job seekers are like good salespeople. They stand out from the crowd because they are focused on the customer and satisfying his or her needs. A good salesperson does not talk too much in an interview or networking opportunity. At least 50% of the time should be spent listening to uncover an opportunity. A good salesperson listens to uncover the needs of the employer and how they can best satisfy that need.

Take the time and effort to go the extra mile by customizing your resume to a particular job or writing an employment proposal that will show how you meet the employer's unique needs.

A good salesperson follows up. Pick up the phone and contact employers after sending a resume, proposal or after being interviewed. Write a thank you letter including further ideas regarding how you can contribute to an organization. By going the extra mile, you can differentiate yourself from the competition.

4) Not conducting a job search as if it were a full-time job.
One of the hardest jobs in the world is looking for a job when you don't have one. That's why job seeking is a full-time job with overtime. It is a numbers game; the more people you talk to, the more resumes you send, the more interviews you go on, the greater the chance you will succeed in getting the type of job you are searching for in the shortest period of time. But the vast majority of job seekers conduct a job search as if it were a part-time job or as if they are on vacation. They send out a couple of resumes a week, attend a networking event once or twice a month, and are lucky to get two or three interviews over several months, as a result. Establishing daily and weekly networking and job application goals, customizing and documenting the application process, and following up on leads and previous contacts made require discipline, organization, motivation, and hard work Monday through Friday (and an occasional weekend!).

3) Procrastination: Waiting until the unemployment check runs out to start a job search.
If you've worked a long time and are now unemployed, you probably deserve a break. Go ahead, take a vacation. But don't let the vacation last 26 weeks or until your unemployment checks run out. It doesn't get any easier the longer you wait to start your search. In fact, psychologically and emotionally, it probably becomes tougher. And, the longer you are unemployed, the less marketable and the less desirable you become to an employer.

Self-assessment and occupational/career exploration should begin immediately, if not prior to actual unemployment because you may discover through this process that you lack marketable skills or need to make a career change, which will require re-training. Vocational training typically takes 12 weeks to 2 years. Conducting a job search over several months may also confirm the need for re-training. So don't wait until the unemployment checks run out to start your job search.

2) Over-reliance on the Internet in the job search process.
Only about 25% of all jobs are found by making online applications and using Internet search sites, and less then 25% of all jobs are posted on the Internet. You wouldn't know that by the way so many of the job seekers conduct their searches. Many job seekers have simply become too comfortable and over-reliant on the computer as their main vehicle for uncovering and applying for jobs.

Diversifying your job search by using all or a combination of the following job search methods will lead to better results then relying on just one or two:

• Develop relationships with 3-4 staffing or placement agencies
• Access the services of publicly-funded agencies like RochesterWorks! or the Department of Labor
• Utilize outplacement services if available
• Cold-call or submit job applications
• Target mailings based on industry, occupation and geography
• Network with friends, relatives, colleagues, service providers, former employers, hiring supervisors

1) Underestimating the power of networking or misunderstanding how to network to uncover job opportunities.
More job seekers are successful in uncovering and securing a job opportunity through networking than through any other form of job search. What is networking? It is simply talking to others to uncover direct or indirect potential job information or job opportunities.

Networking is not about asking for a favor or even asking for a job. And most of the time it is not about cold-calling or approaching people with whom you have no connection. It is about expanding the scope of your personal and professional acquaintances or connecting with others through those you know. It is more likely that someone who does not know you well will refer you to or recommend you for a job than it is for a closer personal acquaintance. This is because there is less risk to the person who knows you least.