Top Five Fatal Mistakes Job Seekers Make

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by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

Searching for a job can be really stressful; you question every move you make, and everywhere you turn, someone has a bit of advice for you.  But there are certain things that you shouldn’t do under any circumstances. These are the top five mistakes that job seekers make, just for you!

1. Not customizing your resume and cover letter for the position that you want.

During your job search, I bet you are finding a lot of really awesome job descriptions. Ones that fit you perfectly, others not so much, but you’re finding ones that you could fill. So why aren’t you customizing your stuff so that you stand out from the crowd?

With more and more employers using software that filter resumes and cover letters by keyword, you don’t want to sabotage yourself by not customizing your resume and cover letter to the job posting. One word of warning to the wise: don’t completely recreate the wheel, just spend five to ten minutes changing some words to fit the post.

2. Not researching the company before you go in for the interview.

What research? It’s just a company, right? Wrong. A company’s culture means a lot about your success or failure as an employee of that company. Some companies support your efforts to go back to school, some believe in professional development, and some companies have a really strict dress code. These are all things that you can find out with a little bit of research.

If you can, try to establish a connection within your network who has some experience with the company you’re applying to, or who has a friend who does, and really think about what you want out of an employer. Asking questions like, “What is your typical work day like?” is a great one to open with and listen for clues as to how often their interaction with their supervisor is, what their coworkers are like (even how good the coffee is), which are all good indicators of what the company is like.

3. Not having a solid answer to “Describe your biggest weakness.”

Preparing for the interview is one of the most important things that you can do! There are plenty of websites out there, like here and here, that can give you lists of popular interview questions and how best to answer them. We would also strongly encourage you to think outside the box on these and other questions, and really answer them as yourself, and then tweak those answers to fit the pat answers provided. Practice with someone!

4. Not asking for time to consider an offer before accepting it.

I know that it is exciting to get a job offer, especially if you've been out of work for a while. I’ve been there… out of work for six months and no real prospects on the horizon, and then out of the blue you get a call and an interview! It goes so well that you are so excited and want to accept… STOP. This is the time to consider your options carefully. Review the offer. If they are offering you the bottom of the pay scale for the position, say $12 an hour, but you have 7 years of experience, why not come back with a counteroffer of $17 an hour? They might accept, and they might not.

Consider the math. Twelve dollars an hour is $24,960 a year before taxes. Subtract about a third of that for taxes and FICA… that leaves you with $18,635.36 for yourself. Compare that with $17 an hour: $35,360 before taxes; $25,951.76 after taxes. Which will actually cover your monthly expenses? What about other perks, like medical and dental insurance? Paid time off, possibly to go to the doctor? (Please note that the above calculations were based on an assumption of 40 hours a week, filing as single, no deductions, and exempt, living in South Carolina.)

5. Not knowing when to say “No.”

One of the biggest harms to your job search is you. Your friends and family think that you have all of this time now that you can devote to them – and you really don’t, do you? Your full-time job right now, while you’re unemployed, is looking for a job. That means spending time on job board websites (like this one, this one, and this one) scrubbing for jobs that fit you, writing your resume so that it is customized for the positions you’re applying for, writing your cover letter fifty ways to Sunday, going to networking events… do they pay overtime for this?

I’m not saying don’t do stuff with your friends and family! Just prioritize your job search, just like you would if you did have a job. Don’t give in every time someone calls and asks you to do a huge favor for them, like walk their dog while they're out to lunch. You have priorities, so learn to say no so you can focus on those.

I hope these help you in your job hunt, and if you need any help with any of these tips, don’t hesitate to give us a call and let us know where you need help. That’s what we’re here for!

Community Service & Getting Employed

by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

What is one of the biggest hurdles you face when you’re filling out job applications?  If you’re like a good number of our clients, it’s that you don’t have relevant job experience, or what you think is relevant job experience.  Have you thought about volunteering in your community?

Volunteering can be a scary thing to some of us.  We have our routines and the people we know, and we don’t want to step outside of them.  We’re scared of rejection by people we don’t know.

Here are some points to think about though:

·         You expand your network of individuals who may know about jobs in your community.  By showing your dedication to a community service project, they may feel motivated to help you find those jobs, or even to give you a recommendation!

 

·         Volunteering in your community allows you to learn job skills, like clerical work, food preparation, or even some construction skills.

·         By volunteering, you’re actually making yourself healthier!  According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, the health benefits include increasing your ability to fight off heart disease and lowering the possibility of becoming depressed.

According to the Office of Disability Employment Policy, over twelve percent of people with disabilities were unemployed, and only 20.7 percent of people with disabilities participated in the labor force, versus 69.2 percent of people without disabilities, in November 2012.  In other words, more people with disabilities were out of a job and fewer people with disabilities who did have a job were actually a part of the labor force. 

If you are having trouble putting your resume together, we have a team of career coaches ready to take your call.  We can help you word your experience so that it presents you in the best way possible.  We want you to succeed!

To help you get started, why don’t you check out these organizations:

http://www.voa.org/ - Volunteers of America is a national program with opportunities in your area. Check out the website to see what they’ve got for you.

http://www.unitedway.org/ - Almost every community has a United Way office, why don’t you give them a call and ask what you can do to help out?

http://www.iparticipate.org/ - This is a great resource full of ideas contributed all over the nation, but localized for you.

Networking... What's the Big Deal?

By Megan Elliott

A buzzword you may have heard during your job search is “networking,” but what does that word mean? What does networking have to do with a job search? Well, everything, if you do it right.

Networking is simply something that you do on a regular basis, talking to your friends and family. A helpful suggestion is to write down everyone you know. Family members, friends, friends of friends, coworkers from previous jobs, and even casual acquaintances are part of your network. Each person in that network can connect you with people in their network. If you write down everyone you know, and call them to ask for their support while you’re looking for a job, and suggestions of people they know who may have a good lead, you potentially have thousands of job leads in no time!

Before you start calling and e-mailing everyone in your network, however, it’s best to have a plan in mind as to how you’re going to approach your network. Develop your plan by asking yourself questions and preparing a statement that answers all of them.

1.       Who will you be talking to?

2.       How would they know you?

3.       What specific jobs are you looking for?

4.       What are your best skills within those types of jobs?

5.       How can you be best contacted?

A good answering service response to these questions would be, “Hello Mr. Evan Clark! My friend Tripp Carter told me to call you today. I’m Megan Elliott, and I’m looking for a job as an administrative assistant within your company. I have excellent phone skills, and I learn filing systems quickly.  If you would like more information, please call me at (843) 519-1319.”

If you’ve been lucky enough to get the person you’re trying to reach on the phone, make sure you keep the conversation flowing. Ask questions, wait for appropriate responses, go into more detail about your skills, and make sure you follow their directions when they ask for you to send in your resume or cover letter.

In-person networking can be more intimidating, but it’s also been shown to be more rewarding. Person-to-person contact allows for eye contact, which is known to increase a feeling of trust among the participants in the conversation.

E-mailing someone can be a little tricky. If they don’t know you, the e-mail can be sent straight to the trash bin, without the person you wanted to read it ever realizing that you sent it. If they do know you, it can be ignored until they have the time to respond to you. One advantage to e-mailing someone is that there is no limit to the number of words you can use, but a good rule of thumb is to keep it to a paragraph or two of quality information that answers the same questions as listed above.

Above all else, remember that networking is all about making and maintaining relationships with people who have similar interests or desires as you. If someone tells you they don’t know of anyone hiring, don’t give up! As the old saying goes, “As one door closes, another one opens.” Keep looking for those open doors. You never know what may walk through them!

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