Are you interested in making your job search more effective moving forward? If so, then it doesn’t hurt to observe what others avoid to boost their effectiveness.
Here are 9 things effective job seekers don’t do in their job searches. Carefully read them. Upon reading them, you’ll know what habits you should avoid or remove for a smarter job hunt.
1. Effective Job Seekers Don’t Underrate The Impact of Their Attitudes.
Effective job seekers don’t proceed without attitude reflection daily. Why? Because they know their attitudes matter in their job search processes.
“Maintaining a positive attitude,” says Harry Urschel, Job Search Coach and Writer, in one of his post, “is one of the most difficult yet most important things you can do for a successful job search. It affects every other aspect of your search and will have a dramatic impact on how you are perceived by potential employers.”
So, one of the best things you can do is step back and reflect on your attitude. Are you pushing through positively or negatively? Are you allowing the frustration, associated with looking for a job, get you down?
Please know your decision influences the way you manage your job search. And, if you want to get through this process with your sanity, then you must foster a positive attitude. A few ways to stay positive in a challenging job hunt include: keeping hope alive, moving onward after rejections, and building your skills through activity.
2. Effective Job Seekers Don’t Sacrifice their Health and Well-Being.
Effective job seekers don’t sacrifice their well-being for long hours of job searching. These job seekers know they must take care of themselves, if they want to get through their job hunts effectively.
Without taking care of yourself, you’ll reach the point of exhaustion. And, you’ll stretch yourself too thin.
Several healthy ways to take care of yourself are:
- Feeding Your Body.
- Quenching Your Thirst.
- Getting the Sleep You Need Every Night.
- Staying Physically Active.
- Taking Breaks When Necessary.
- Engaging in a Hobby.
There’s an urgency to land a job, but you must still take care of yourself.
3. Effective Job Seekers Don’t Focus on Full-Time Hours.
You might’ve heard the saying: “looking for a job is a full-time job.” Right? Well, effective job seekers know this isn’t solid advice.
They don’t focus on meeting so many hours a week. They know a full-time (40 hours/week) job search affects your well-being and effectiveness. There’s no way to keep going, in this way, without experiencing burnout, frustration, and inefficiency.
When you don’t set limits in your job hunt, it consumes you. It takes up your full day, if you allow it. This isn’t healthy for someone out of work and already dealing with unemployment.
What you should do instead is: put in a full-time effort as opposed to full-time hours. Designate time, your mornings or your evenings, for example, to job search activities. And, put forth your best efforts throughout this time.
Also, shut your job search down when it’s time. Set and keep time boundaries in place. Hallie Crawford, Career Seekers Coach, says:
“Establishing boundaries with your time can be another way to maintain balance during your {career} transition.”
4. Effective Job Seekers Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Break Time.
You might think setting aside a break time is a counterproductive activity. But, effective job seekers know it isn’t.
Nothing’s wrong with taking a break from your job search activities to rest, when you need it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests five minute breaks every hour.
You can do several things doing your break: read inspirational material, take a walk or stretch, recount the good things of the day, or get out of the house for a while.
Breaking is a good way to prevent burnout, stress, and overwhelm in your job search. But, you must be intentional about this time to avoid procrastination.
5. Effective Job Seekers Don’t Blindly Apply and Interview.
Effective job seekers don’t blindly apply and interview for jobs. They don’t walk around thinking:
“I’ll apply to (and interview for) as many jobs as I can to increase my chances of getting a job offer.”
They know better. They know you must be realistic in your job search. They also know time is too precious for wasting on mass job application submissions.
Instead of blindly applying and interviewing, you should bring intentionality into your search. Target your job search. According to Eli Amdur of Amdur Coaching and Advisory Group, a targeted job search includes:
- Identifying the Business or Occupation You’re Interested In.
- Researching the Leading Companies by Culture, Leadership, Products, and Market Positions.
- Determining Whether You Can Grow Within Company.
- Figuring Out Logistical Issues, such as the Commute, Working Hours, and Extra Taxes.
- Rating Your Potential Happiness at the Targeted Company.
You prepare your application materials based on what you learn through research. You’ll also know everything you need to know before your interview.
6. Effective Job Seekers Don’t Submit “One Size Fits All” Resumes and Cover Letters.
This relates to number 4 above, but I must emphasize it here.
Effective job seekers know quality matters in their job searches. They don’t submit a “one size fits all” resume because they know you must speak directly to the needs of the job.
If you don’t tailor your materials for every job, then you don’t show your ability to perform the job.
Instead, consider the targeted job search approach already discussed. And, prepare your resumes and cover letters accordingly.
7. Effective Job Seekers Don’t Let Employment Rejections Halt their Efforts.
The longer your job search, the more rejections you receive. And, while others tell you not to take these rejections personally, I won’t. I can’t. Why? Because I’ve taken them personally in my job search.
There’s no way you can’t, when you’re putting forth your best efforts. However, you shouldn’t let these employment rejections halt your efforts.
Employers reject you, and this rejection stings. But, bounce back from these rejections and move forward. And, when you bounce back, remember the words of Liz Ryan, Founder and CEO of Human Workplace, in her Forbes article:
“You can’t squander it {i.e., your mojo} worrying about whether you’re acceptable to other people, or not. You learned something on each of your interviews and each of your recruiter calls. That’s magnificent. How else would you learn?”
8. Effective Job Seekers Don’t Stop Maturing Mentally.
Effective job seekers don’t stop learning. They use time outside of job search activities to enrich their minds.
They know this is a great investment and do so in many ways: reading books, journals, and (valuable) blogs. Listening to audios and podcasts. Volunteering or freelancing. Taking a class or two.
And, they build skill(s) while job searching. They know these skill(s) are beneficial, professionally and personally.
So to you: how will you keep enriching your mind? What skill(s) are you interested in learning? How will learn?
You make room for learning and skill-building, when you remove those extra hours of job searching. You have time to commit to a project of interest, learn, and apply what you’ve learned.
9. Effective Job Seekers Don’t Forget to Reevaluate Their Strategies Regularly.
Effective job seekers don’t embark on their job searches, without evaluating their strategies regularly. They know they must make improvements when things aren’t working out and do so.
They honestly evaluate their strategies and whether they’re getting any results. Reevaluating your job search approach involves: reviewing your goals, resumes, and activities. And, an effective job search strategy consists of many things discussed here:
- Defining Your Job Goal with Specifics.
- Targeting Your Job Search Approach.
- Tailoring Your Resume and Cover Letter for Every Job.
- Putting Forth a Full-time Effort vs. Full-Time Hours.
Conclusion
Looking for a job takes time and energy, so effective job searching is vital. Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of what you should avoid while looking for a job. And, it doesn’t hurt to reevaluate your job search and make eliminations, where necessary.
Featured photo credit: Rachael Crowe via unsplash.com
