7 Habits to Eliminate During a Job Search

The job market has evolved rapidly over the last 2 decades, and most of us are failing to adapt and refine our approach to advancing our careers. This causes many to fail to stay relevant to the demands of hiring managers. People tend to be very passive in their careers, hence missing out on golden opportunities.

Here are 7 Habits to eliminate during a job search:

1. Don’t follow the pack – During a job search most candidates usually use similar strategies; they update their resumes and then go online to apply for work and register with various recruitment agencies. Then they wonder why they’re not getting a response. Most recruiters spend less than 30 seconds scanning a resume which then disappears into the black hole of recruitment. Companies/recruiters use an ATS (applicant tracking system) which screens applicants out based on the key words they use in their resumes. Don’t follow the pack because you’re probably going to get the same results as everyone else instead do something to stand apart.

2. Don’t keep your job search a top secret – many recruiters and hiring managers prefer to hire based on a recommendation or trusted source. Inform your network, friends and family that you’re job hunting. Let them know what you’re looking for.

3. Not having or keeping your LinkedIn profile up to date – Most recruiters actually prefer hiring from LinkedIn (professional networking site) because such candidates already have high value. An updated profile speaks volumes and is bound to attract positive attention and more engagement between candidate and recruiters.

4. No target based approach – Most candidates invest many hours applying for job after job with very little or no results at all and this can become quite frustrating. This is due to having no target as they appear to be firing blanks with no thought given to approach and strategy. Be very clear about the industry and career you’re aspiring towards and pay careful attention to the needs of the hiring company.

5. Don’t operate with an old mind-set – Hoping to get different results with the same mind-set will most definitely not bear any fruit. Years of programming result in negative thinking and poor behaviors – hence self sabotaging beliefs limit progression. Even going to top business schools and holding degrees often enough does not remove mental barriers. Only rewiring of mind-sets can alter behavior and bring in different results

6. No networking strategy – Most people believe that they’re not well connected without even tapping into their connections. Networking often helps build relationships with experts and groups within your industry. Adopting a few networking strategies is key to building new and maintain exiting professional relationships.

7. Don’t quit – After a while of not landing that job it is easy to become despondent and to lose hope. Networking and positioning yourself within the job market and relevant industry takes time. Remaining focused, taking action and being positive is bound to deliver results - so do not give up and given in.

So there you have it. Keep in mind positive and result based practices during your job search.