Job Seekers You Are Fooling Yourself If...

Job Seekers You Are Fooling Yourself If... In honor of April Fool’s day, the Career Collective is tackling a few important and timely questions: How are you fooling yourself about your career /job search? What can you do about it, and how to avoid being tricked by common job search blunders. I come in contact with people every day who are fooling themselves into thinking theyve got this job search thing down or refuse to accept the new realities of todays job search. Unfortunately they continue to fool themselves day after day and those days often turn into weeks, months, or even years as they continue to remain unemployed. If you arent getting interviews your search isnt working. Are you fooling yourself and are you guilty of any of the scenarios below?You are expecting to get calls for interviews because you posted your resume online. Despite all the advice and statistics to the contrary, job seekers continue to spend most of their job search time posting on job boards. Its fine to apply for positions that you are truly qualified for online. But is is imperative that you create alternative plans for getting your foot in the door at those employers. Talk to recruiters, find someone in your network who may know someone at the company, or use tools such as LinkedIn or Jigsaw to find a potential decision maker at that company. Posting on the job boards with thousands of other applicants will rarely get you noticed.You think keywords in resumes are a nice to have. More and more recruiters and hiring managers are using applicant tracking systems to source candidates and they may never find you if your resume doesnt contain relevant keywords. Stop debating the importance of keywords and start putting them in your resume. Applicant tracking systems are getting more sophisticated and they are here to stay.You think the format and presentation of your resume is inconsequential. I often write posts about the importance of what I call resume blingthe use of visuals such as graphs and charts and in some cases color or images to prove impact or differentiate oneself from the pack. This idea continues to scare people who think this isnt proper resume etiquette because it will make their resume look different. Ahsorrylooking different is the point.You think networking is just brown nosing. I get these comments about networking all the time and even hear from people who say they would never stoop to trying to build relationships with people as part of their job search. They are missing the boat on the concept of giving to get and being authentic. People want to do business with people they know. Take a general interest in peoplealwaysand they will be there to help you when you need an introduction.You think online networking is not necessary for you. Sometimes my senior level clients tell me they are very well known in their professional circles, so LinkedIn is not necessary for them. They may be well known, but many hiring managers and recruiters expect to see a consistent online representa tion of who you are professionally.Take a long hard look at your search strategy. Are you making progress or just fooling yourself? You can read posts on this topic from my colleagues below.10 Ways to Tell if Your Job Search is a Joke, @careerealismApril Fool’s Day â€" Who’s Fooling Who?, @MartinBuckland @EliteResumesIf It’s Not You and It’s Not True, You’re Fooling Yourself, @GayleHoward Don’t Kid Yourself! (The Person You See in the Mirror is a Good Hire), @chandlee Avoiding the Most Common Blunder, @jobhuntorgAre you fooling yourself? Bored at work? Is it your own fault?, @keppie_careersHey, Job Seeker â€" Don’t Be a Fool!, @resumeserviceJob Search Is No Joking Matter,   @careersherpaIs Your #Career in Recovery or Retreat? (All Joking Aside), @KCCareerCoach9 Ways You Might Be Fooling Yourself About Your Job Search, @heatherhuhmanDon’t get tricked by these 3 job search blunders, @LaurieBerensonTrying to hard to be nobody’s fool?,   @WorkWithIllnessIt’s not all about you, @DawnBugniMirror ‘their’ needs, not ‘your’ wants in #jobsearch, @ValueIntoWords Stop Fooling Yourself about your Job Hunt: Things you may be doing to sabotage yourself â€" @erinkennedycprw Same as it ever was â€" @walterakana