Wednesday, January 13, 2010

How To Avoid Some Common Missteps When Looking For Employment

By Craig Calvin

It is very difficult when you suddenly find yourself unemployed. Most recently unemployed individuals quickly try to find a new job without thoroughly thinking out a plan for how to find this job. This can end up leading to some mistakes which may prevent them from finding work. The good news is with some planning, and some guidance, these mistakes can be avoided.

Before you do anything else, make a plan. It is very easy to quickly become overwhelmed by all of the negative consequences that come with being laid off. You start to worry about medical insurance, bills, and providing the essentials for you or your family. This worry can cause you to start applying for jobs without coming up with a plan first, and this can be counter-productive to your success. You need to stop and think about your resume, your training, your qualifications, and what other tools you have available to help you find a job. You also need to think about what types of jobs you should apply for, in what fields, and how far you could travel to work if necessary. Another important part of your plan is networking, not only to try to find individuals who may be aware of available jobs, but to provide references as well.

Do not limit your search to the internet. If you want to find a job quickly you need to explore every possible job opening available. While there are certainly many jobs that can be found online, either using a job finding site, or going directly to company's web sites, not every job is posted on the internet. If there are local companies where you think you would be qualified to work it may be worth while to contact them directly, talk to someone face to face, and provide hard copies of your resume. This human interaction may help when you are competing with many other people for a limited number of jobs.

One-by-one searching. Too many people assume that they get a nibble and they should pull the rest of their lines. They will pursue one opportunity by itself without keeping other options on their plate just because they see hope. When you get so discouraged, it's easy to forget that the light doesn't always keep shining, and you need to keep your options open. However, you should know that the more options you have, the better your chances of success will be.

If you don't make a plan, limit yourself to looking for jobs only on the internet, or stop your searching because you think you may have a chance for one specific job opportunity, you are seriously hurting your chances for finding a job, no matter what your resume says or how qualified you may be. More companies are laying off good, qualified people all of the time, and there are not many new job opportunities available, so you need to give yourself every advantage you can when you are looking for a job during these tough economic times.

A great source of online information for individuals who are looking for a job is Six Sigma Online. If you visit their web site, http://www.sixsigmaonline.org, you can find information on career finding and business productivity, in addition to Six Sigma Training.

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