Still looking for that job? Are you making these time wasting job-seeker mistakes?

Social media is great for crowd sourcing information. Hannah Morgan (@CareerSherpa) and I are lucky to have an amazing network of friends and colleagues from the career coaching, recruiting and careers industries. We hope you will check out their other advice we are showcasing in honor of our upcoming eBook, You Need a Job: 5 Steps to Get One.

This is part two of two posts I published this weekend with great information from our colleagues — and Hannah has two unique posts filled with more information planned this weekend as well. I told you our colleagues had plenty to share about the subject!  Be sure to check out Hannah’s post today.

We hope you will learn something new from these responses to the question: What mistakes do job seekers make?

Passive job seekers

No job seeker can afford to sit back and hope for the best. If you are not driving your own career bus, who is driving it?

Job seekers engage in passive searches that put way too much emphasis on resumes, cover letters and job boards. ~ Walter Akana, Threshold Consulting

Online Info

Both Hannah and I are big proponents of using social media and online tools.  Are you giving enough thought to your online presence when it comes to job search?

Some job seekers are still failing to clean up their online presence — most recruiters and hiring managers will do an online search on each job candidate. ~ Heather Huhman, Come Recommended

Create a personal alias and a professional profile online. Use separate emails for both. You’ll be glad you did when it’s time for a background check. ~ Jim Stroud

Learn new things

One thing that is a guarantee for job seekers – the job market, types of positions and the skills you need will continue to change and evolve. Are you keeping up?

The job seeker doesn’t take the time to learn new skills (e.g., social media) that could add to marketability while expanding their resources. ~ Walter Akana, Threshold Consulting

Applying, resumes and interviewing

It is amazing how much there is to do and think about before you are ready to think about your resume, job search materials and interview skills! Some tips from our colleagues:

Job seekers are in a hurry and rush through writing their resume or having their resume written, which ultimately costs them more time (and money) because they chose speed over quality. ~ Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, Career Trend

Chris Havrilla, Havrilla, LLC, points out these job seeker errors:

• Not taking control of your resume (don’t be generic, treat like a business proposal – one size does not fit all) or interview process (making sure Recruiter/Interviewer walks away from the interview with the information they need – not just the answers to the questions they ask).
• Applying for a job for which you are not qualified or for which you cannot add value.
• Not interviewing the company – just letting them interview you.

Too often, job seekers stay within what feels like a safe zone for their cover letter and other application materials. Remember that doing something unique and outside the box will help you stand out! ~ Alexis Grant

Follow up

You applied, so now itâ€s time to wait and see? Not if you actually want the job! Follow up is important!

Applying online only, not following up with company, recruiter or hiring manager directly. ~ Chris Havrilla, Havrilla, LLC

The process of applying online and waiting for a call does not work well in this job market. You have to proactively contact people in the organization. A personal connection goes a lot farther than a piece of data coming over the internet. ~ Harry Urschel, e-Executives

Other Tips

Thereâ€s so much more advice! (There is a lot to say — our eBook has 29 chapters packed full of it!) Here are some additional, useful tips from our colleagues we didnâ€t want you to miss:

Job seekers spend far too much time listening the media and the ‘doom and gloom’ brigade. In fact, job seekers don’t screw up enough. Resumes, networking and interviewing all improve by making MORE mistakes, not less. ~ Sital Ruparelia

Job seekers frequently focus on the “one” thing they canâ€t do (some new technology) or donâ€t have (degree) or canâ€t control (age), using that one factor as a roadblock to a search. They forget the 1027 things they can do and what value they do bring. ~ Dawn Bugni, The Write Solution

Do any of these answers make you squirm? Maybe you are the job seeker who isnâ€t quite as prepared as you should be? Maybe your resume isnâ€t quite right, or you arenâ€t following up? Our ebook, You Need a Job: 5 Steps to Get One, which we are so excited about launching TOMORROW, Monday, June 11^th, will give you specific advice and information about how to address most of these and many other concerns that prevent job seekers from landing opportunities.

Itâ€s 29 chapters of “how to doâ€s” for job seekers who want to stop looking and start working in their new opportunities. Stay tuned – for those who buy the eBook first, we are offering some free bonuses. Keep your eye here tomorrow for details.

If you want to read more ideas, don’t miss yesterday’s post about what not to do when you are looking for a job.

Update: the ebook is available. If you want to learn how to find a job, learn more here.

photo by Alan Cleaver

The post What mistakes do job seekers make? Part 2 appeared first on Keppie Careers.

One of the best things about being involved and engaged via social media is the opportunity to meet and get to know so many colleagues online. When we were planning out how to launch our eBook, You Need a Job, 5 Steps to Get One, Hannah Morgan (@careersherpa) and I brainstormed about ways to share useful information for readers, and we both knew we wanted to tap into the brain trust in our extended social networks.

Many of these people, we have met in person, or have spoken to on the phone. Others we know only online, but weâ€re both thrilled and proud all of them agreed to share a tip (or two!) in response to the question: What mistakes do job seekers make?

(This is part one of two posts I have on tap this weekend with great information from our colleagues — and Hannah has two unique posts filled with more information planned for the weekend as well. – I told you our colleagues had plenty to share about the subject!) Be sure to check out Hannah’s post today.

 Getting started: strategy and planning (for everything)

Itâ€s so important to start off on the right foot. Many of our colleagues agree that strategy and being organized is key to job-search success:

Job seekers execute their job search without a strategy; they shoot, then aim, and unfortunately, this almost always results in a miss. ~ Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, Career Trend.

Job seekers miss 30% of the opportunities because they’re simply disorganized and fail to track and follow up every single lead and application ~ Sital Ruparelia

Many jobseekers do not take time to record a personalized voice mail greeting or create one that is appropriate to a job search. They frequently fail to coach their references on their job search goals or what points to make if theyâ€re called. They do not provide their references with a current resume, and worst of all, some do not even notify the individual they are being used as a reference.  ~ Dawn Bugni, The Write Solution

Clarity about search, identifying a unique value proposition and researching

Once you have a strategy, itâ€s crucial to have clarity and to understand your unique value proposition. Donâ€t forget that researching your target organizations will help you stand out from a crowd.

Job seekers often lack a clear statement of value and the stories that can illustrate (and back up) what they can do. ~ Walter Akana, Threshold Consulting

Many job seekers fail to market themselves — they must know their own strengths, weaknesses, skills, and unique selling points. No one is going to land a job for you! ~ Heather Huhman, Come Recommended 

Job seekers should consider conducting a people search, rather than a job search. By identifying target companies, and influencers within those companies, and then aiming to get meetings with them before a job opens, they will position themselves as the “known candidate” and will be tapped for an opportunity FIRST when a position does open up. ~ Laura Labovich, Aspire! Empower!

Not knowing what the market rate is for the position you’re applying for. Do your salary guide research or you simply won’t be able to negotiate benefits to your benefit. ~ Jacob Share, JobMob

Job seekers try to be all things to all employers instead of identifying their niche strengths, finding a matching position, and targeting their materials for it. ~ Laura DeCarlo, Career Directors International

Get out and network:

We canâ€t overstate how important it is to network in order to find a job. Research shows referrals are the top source of hires; your network may be the difference between having a job or looking for one. Consider how you are growing and maintaining your network of colleagues, friends and supporters – and who you consider part of your network.

Job Seeker does not network inside of their professional communities.  ~ Walter Akana, Threshold Consulting

Jobs seekers fail to engage their friends, family and contacts quickly enough in their search. ~ Sital Ruparelia

Many job seekers forget that developing a network needs to begin a long time before they actually need it. ~ Dawn Rasmussen, Pathfinder Writing and Career Services

One of the most fun parts of compiling these suggestions from our colleagues was that we address so many of these topics in our eBook, You Need a Job, 5 Steps to Get One. It provides you with information that you need to know to get your job search going in the right direction. Our goal is to help you save time, effort, energy and money…Letâ€s face it, the best job hunt is one that is well executed and is as short as possible.

Update: the ebook is available. If you want to learn how to find a job, learn more here. Don’s miss special bonuses for people who are the first to buy our eBook.

Be sure to visit Hannah’s post for more tips from our friends and colleagues.

photo by Gnu2000

The post What mistakes do job seekers make? Part 1 appeared first on Keppie Careers.

Luckily, Laurie Ruettimann, co-founder (with Mark Stelzner and Yasha Morehouse Stelzner) of New Media Services, live tweeted our talk. The tweets are below…I hope there is a tidbit or new piece of information you have not considered. (Note – to read everything in order, start at the bottom and work your way up! These are in reverse chronological order.)

The next free Voice of Careers webinar  is Networking With A Purpose Via Social Media on September 15th!

The post Social media for job seekers – what you need to know now appeared first on Keppie Careers.

Social Media for Job Seekers: A Career Coaches Panel

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Noon EST | 9:00 am PST

If you believe the hype, it would seem that all you need to do is turn on your computer, log into your favorite social media account and your dream job will be waiting for you. For many of you, reality is much different, as social media for job seeking is something you have yet to meaningfully pursue. Our distinguished panel of experts will help you separate fact from fiction and embrace social media as one of many tools in your career arsenal. We will address common questions, including:

• How do I prepare for a social media job search?
• How can I avoid common mistakes?
• Which tools are right for me?
• What should I share publicly?
• Will this actually work?

Moderated by JobAngels founder Mark Stelzner, our panel will answer these questions and more, including an opportunity for you to pose your own questions directly to our experts. Please welcome coaches Miriam Salpeter, Dawn Bugni and Shahrzad Arasteh as they join Mark for a taste of what these new and exciting tools have to offer. And if you’re on Twitter already, follow our hashtag #voc10 to participate in real-time with your fellow attendees. This is sure to be a popular event so sign up today!

illustration by Matt Hamm

The post Learn how social media can help with your job hunt appeared first on Keppie Careers.

Recently, my colleague Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter of Career Trend Resumes and Writing shared some information via Dawn Bugni (Twitter: @dawnbugni), who referenced the July 2009 Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches

If you expect a $20,000 salary, your weekly salary is $384.61 and an 18 week job hunt will cost you $6,992.98.

If you are looking for a job with a $50,000 salary, your weekly salary is $961.54 and an 18 week job hunt costs you $17,307.69.

If you are hoping for a $100,000 salary, your weekly salary is $1,923.08 and an 18 week job hunt costs you $34,615.38.

Clearly, it behooves job seekers to do everything they can to shorten their searches to land as quickly as possible. Jacqui’s post, which you should read in its entirety HERE, reminds readers that “navigating a job search without a compass” costs valuable time and money. Think about it…Wouldn’t it be nice to have an experienced coach and resume writer on your side? When I coach someone, I like to think of myself in the role of a helpful friend in the passenger seat offering directions as you are driving your own career bus!

Follow this link to learn more about me and how I can help you propel your search forward.

cartoon from Bearman

The post What's the cost of being unemployed? appeared first on Keppie Careers.