DO's and DON'T's for job seekers or anyone who aspires to have a better career lifestyle.

I've notice there’s a lot of dumb (duh) advice on the Internet about what to and not to do when looking for a job. I’m going to assume you already know not to drink, smoke, chew gum or trash your old employer during an interview. I’m also betting you know to make eye contact, extend a firm handshake and not correspond with your studmuffin@hotmail email account. (If you’ve learned anything new in this paragraph, stop reading and google “what not to do when looking for a job.” Good luck...you’ll need it.)

hese are the real things you need to know about job hunting:

People generally find jobs five ways:

1. Answering ads

2. Working with recruiters

3. Posting resumes online

4. Cold calling

5. Networking

Only 20% of jobs are obtained through the first four, which means 80% are found through networking. Ironically, most job-seekers and recruiters spend most of their time on the things that make the least amount impact.

DON'T:

Spend the first three weeks of your job hunt writing and rewriting your resume. Your resume is your own personal advertisement, not a biography. If you’re lucky, it will be glanced at for ten seconds (so no more than a page long). If it doesn’t stand out, it will be tossed aside. If you suck at writing and marketing, find someone skilled in these areas to do it for you. Before hiring someone, ask to see a sample of their work.

Count on job boards. Job boards are limited for two main reasons: most job openings aren’t posted online and the potential for your resume to get lost in a pile of desperate job-seekers is extremely high. Some refer to them as “the black hole” for resumes. I wouldn’t go that far, but I will recommend you cut your focus back here and redirect it to your network.

Rely on or trust a recruiter. Recruiters work for a company. Their loyalty is to the job order, not you. I recently talked to a guy that moved his family across the country for a job. I asked him why he left the place he defined as "perfect for his family's Ultimate Lifestyle." He said his recruiter convinced him he would not find an opportunity in the aforementioned city...Dallas. The truth was, the recruiter didn’t have a job order in Dallas. Don't get me wrong, recruiters are ok to use, but don’t rely on them and do your homework before hiring.

Post your resume all over the internet. For starters, you're likely to be annoyed by headhunters trying to sell you a job you don’t want. Secondly, do you really want your information on the internet for everyone to see long after you’ve found a job? If you must post, do it confidentially or create a temporary email and P.O. Box for your job search. Bottom line, the more time you spend on this kind of crap, the less you have for networking...which is where you should be dedicating your focus.

DO:

Define your Ultimate Career Lifestyle (UCL). Replace the time you would’ve spent writing and rewriting your resume, and spend that time defining your Ultimate Career Lifestyle. For example, I know I want to move back to Dayton, OH. But, I also know I don't want to stay there forever. I eventually want to be on the West Coast. I realized what I really want is an opportunity where I can live anywhere, anytime. Originally, people told me “this was unrealistic.” However, after defining my UCL, every opportunity that came my way was flexible according to geography. My best advice...DEFINE IT, COMMIT TO IT, AND DON'T SETTLE (you deserve it!).

Brand yourself based on your strengths. What is your area of expertise and what are your strengths? Define them, articulate them, exude them and communicate them. Do things like leverage the power of Social Media and position yourself as a "thought leader" by blogging and contributing to discussions in your area of expertise. Get creative about how you are going to stand out to your future employer or business partner. I've have been blogging on FohBoh for some time now. When I decided to go back on the market and "Blog About It" the blog got over 900 views in a weekend. My inbox and voicemail immediately began to cook with invites and opportunities.

Tap into your Network/Entourage. This is where you need to be spending the most of your time. Make a list of everyone you know. Contact each person and share with them your UCL and what you have to offer. This is where you’ll find real leads. If you really want job security, focus on constantly building your network and finding ways to add value to your relationships. Networking isn’t about calling someone you met once at a conference and randomly asking them for a job. It’s about maintaining a presence in that person’s circle of "value contributors." When you go to 'hit them up' for a job lead, you won't feel like you're calling them after seven years begging for a favor. Here are Tips for Building your Career Entourage. Here is another example of leveraging Social media. In my job search example I brought all my contacts to one social network then blogged about my experience, goals and outcomes. People have always found jobs through networking the difference is when you and I went to find our first job we didn't have the power of technology and if we were lucky we had 30 people in our circle. It took us months to contact them to work the deal (snail mail, home answering machines etc). Now you can have 400 of your friends on FohBoh, write a blog on the beach and click/send then set up interviews.

Focusing your energy into defining your UCL, Branding yourself and working your network positions you to not only save time, but to find a job that better fits your Ultimate Lifestyle. (Because, let's face it, that's what we're all after) Career Agent's and Life Coaches like the ones with Talent Revolution are great for this type of stuff. Getting on networks like this one having brain hook-ups and build your network with other talented people is a major good move too. If you don’t feel comfortable working the process alone, shoot me a message at mycareer@talentrevolution.net I'd love to help!

amanda hite
Talent Revolution