Why Most Job Searches Fail and How to Prevent It

Why Most Job Searches Fail and How to Prevent It

What do YOU think? Why or Why Not Do YOU think you succeeded or failed at your last job search?

What constitutes a failed job search? Specifically it's a job search that was prematurely ended or did not end up resulting in the goals that you originally set for yourself. This is the same as letting discouragement and disillusionment lead us to settle for much, much less than we deserve and are capable of. In order to uncover exactly why this happens, it's important to understand how a job search is often unintentionally set up for failure.

To paint a picture of a typical scenario goes something like this:

You start out with a lot of excitement and a dreamy abundance of possibilities for your next career move. With a hearty enthusiasm you dive into activities such as updating your resume, searching job boards and perhaps talking confidentially to a couple of trusted friends. In the days to follow perhaps you contact a recruiter source that you know of or that may have been referred to you, connect with one or two industry peers and maybe answer a few on line job postings.

Then the following week you continue to answer several more job ads online.

Week three finds you with a certain apprehension about the lack of response you have received so far. You double check your resume for typo's and check to make sure your phone line is working.

And because these efforts above rarely produce any significant results, week four finds you feeling a range of negative emotions and the downward spiral really begins.

And since we are on the subject here are some underlying issues associated with job search failure:

Fear of the unknown and that you don't know *how* to do something

Waiting to do something or suspending action until you are ready because you want it to be *perfect* Over thinking your actions and others reactions to you

And finally, fear of actually reaching your goals (fear of success)

Combined, negative thoughts and feelings mixed with a poorly executed job search strategy is a true recipe for failure.

So, here are three tips you can use to avoid job search failure:

Tip One: Your Personal Plan

Your successful job search truly begins with a simple yet very clear plan. You need to know where you are going and you need to know specifically what your ultimate goal is. Then you need to commit to moving forward. Not taking action simply leads no where, while those who are focused, positive and committed to taking action succeed.

Tip Two: Have the Best Tools

These are the tools that you invest in that will help and support you in your job search efforts. They include (a combination of) but are not limited to: recruiters, the right job boards, networking, associations and trade journal research and involvement, social networking sites and capitalizing on your companies of choice as well as companies in growth mode. Growth mode companies can be a really critical component to your success because 80% of key positions are filled before they are ever advertised.

Tip Three: Create Your Courageous Goal

This is your personal weekly goal for the actions and activities you want to complete and the time you want to complete them in. You want your goals to be "courageous", meaning they will stretch you to achieve goals just a little bit out of your comfort zone. You also want your goals to be simple, crystal clear and motivating. This will create consistency in your activity which will bring you an abundance of positive job search results!

Pioneering a results oriented and successful job search is a combination of timing, common sense strategies and the right resources. Knowing how to avoid traps that lead to a failed job search will put you on the right path to achievement of your career goals.

by Mary Elizabeth Bradford - Career marketing expert and nationally certified professional resume writer, Mary Elizabeth Bradford is "The Career Artisan". Mary Elizabeth delivers simple ways for career seekers to focus on, find and land the job they want. For free articles and to sign up for her free tele-seminar "5 simple steps to focus on, find and land your dream job - starting today" visit http://www.maryelizabethbradford.com

Get a Job in 5 Minutes!

Get a Job in 5 Minutes

by James E. Challenger -James E. Challenger, president of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., is in his fourth decade of job search counseling after pioneering outplacement as an employer-paid benefit. He has authored three books, including Secrets of the Job Hunt and his most recent Job-Hunting Success for Mid-Career Professionals.

James E. Challenger is right "on the money"! Read on! What do you think?


The first five minutes of any job interview are critical in the selection process!


For candidates seeking employment at a job fair, an initial interview with a company may last only five minutes. A job seeker has to be qualified in order to get the job but there will always be several other people who are equally qualified as far as the interviewer is concerned.


In the end, you will be hired because the interviewer personally likes you the best, not necessarily because you are the most qualified in the field of candidates. And many interviewers, especially in a job fair situation, will know whether or not he or she likes you the best within the first five minutes!


First impressions are vital, knowing that the interviewer will be speaking with several candidates within a short period of time. If you do not make a good impression immediately, the chances are that you will not be able to recover, however excellent your qualifications are for the job. It is a sobering thought to the average job seeker.


It means that you have little margin for error in presenting yourself. If you do make a mistake or present yourself in an unfavorable manner in the interviewer's opinion, you have erased your likability factor.


If you wish to sell any product successfully, it is necessary to know all you can about the product. In respect to the job search, the selling is done at the job interview and the product you must know so thoroughly is yourself. To maximize your chances of having a successful interview, you should keep the following points in mind:



1. Look the interviewer directly in the eyes and smile when you meet, with a firm, but not hard, handshake. You may be surprised how important those initial gestures are to the interviewer's impression of you.



If you avert your gaze, you may give the interviewer the impression of being shifty or unsure of yourself. If you give the person a "wet fish" handshake instead of a solid one, the impression may be that you are timid and ineffectual. If you crush the interviewer's hand, the pain will dim your luster.


Smiling sounds simple but is one of the most important rules of the interview. It sets the tone for the entire session, projecting you as a pleasant person. Make it a point to look at the interviewer directly when you are answering his or her questions.



2. Body language is also important. Do not fidget. Assume a comfortable posture from the outset and avoid shifting your position or crossing and re-crossing your legs. If you do, it may give the interviewer a message that you are uneasy or nervous, it can be translated into the perception you are trying to conceal something that you do not want the employer to know.


3. Know your resume thoroughly and be ready to elaborate on any point contained in it. Resumes do not get jobs; interviews do but you have to be in mental command of all of your important accomplishments.



You cannot take the chance of trying to ad-lib an unprepared answer to a pivotal interview request such as, "Tell me about yourself." Interviewers are after specific information about job candidates, not generalities. That is why you should commit your major accomplishments to memory before going into any interview.



4. Always try to be "up" psychologically for the interview. That is often the most difficult thing to do, especially if you have been job hunting for some period of time, but it is very important for the success of the interview.



If you appear downcast or depressed, or are unresponsive to the interviewer's questions or listless in your approach, you will rule yourself out of consideration for that job. Interviewers want enthusiastic, happy people who show a strong interest in the job. If you do not, another candidate most assuredly will.



5. You must do everything you can within moral bounds to get a job offer, and then evaluate it. Do not be overly concerned about what the job is in the beginning. Get the offer and then decide if you want it! You should listen for clues as to what the interviewer wants and try to be the person he or she wants you to be, within the scope of your own skills, desires and talents.



Anticipate the interviewer's questions as much as possible and be ready with all of your homework done. Then let the interviewer pick and choose what is to be discussed in the interview.



6. Bear in mind that your potential employer is operating within a limited amount of time, and will talk about what is important to him or her.



Therefore, you should be non-directive: allow the interviewer to choose exactly what he or she wants to talk about. Most interviews last 20 to 30 minutes at the maximum, so that is no time for you to interject with an agenda of your own or discuss points that you think should be covered. Doing that is an invitation to an early exit.



7. Be relaxed: it relaxes the interviewer. Focus all of your attention on the employer. You want him or her to feel witty, charming, urbane. Why? Because it makes the person feel good and the better the individual feels in your presence, the more likely you are to be making a favorable impression.


8. Respond to the interviewer's hospitality; accept anything that is offered. Even if you do not drink coffee, if the interviewer offers it, take a sip or two and then just leave the cup. Let that person be the host and you be the gracious guest.


9. Dress appropriately: conservative business suits, shirts and ties for men; suits or conservative dresses for women. Avoid any excesses such as long hair, heavy jewelry or earrings for men, flashy dresses or excessive makeup for women.



If you handle all of these matters well, you should make a favorable impression on the interviewer - but do not forget to ask for the "order" before you leave.


By James E. Challenger -James E. Challenger, president of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., is in his fourth decade of job search counseling after pioneering outplacement as an employer-paid benefit. He has authored three books, including Secrets of the Job Hunt and his most recent Job-Hunting Success for Mid-Career Professionals.

The Right Way To Terminate Employees

It's NEVER fun to be terminated, it's NEVER fun to be the employer who has to terminate the employee either, but it is important to remember to be sensitive and keep things legal. Read on! TrainingSys.com has it right!

What do you think?

How to Terminate Employees Smartly

from October 2001 Recruiting, Inspiring & Retaining E-zine
Courtesy of http://www.trainingsys.com


• Work out all the details of any severance package before the termination meeting. You may want to ask the employee to sign a severance agreement with a litigation waiver if you are providing assistance above and beyond what laid off employees typically receive. (For employees 40 and older, make sure the agreement includes conditions and language consistent with the older Worker Benefit Protection Act.)


• Have a plan for retrieving any money or equipment the employee needs to return.


• Be prepared to answer the employee's questions about departure, references, unemployment, COBRA, and any assistance in finding another job.


• Strongly consider providing some outplacement assistance. This often redirects any employee anger into constructive efforts.


• Carefully craft your opening statement, clearly communicating that the employee is being terminated and why. While showing compassion, convey that all relevant managers agree with the decision, that all factors have been weighed, and that the decision is final--not open to discussion or negotiation. You may want to rehearse this statement or write it out.


• Cite reasons for the dismissal briefly and factually. don't make value judgments or attempt to analyze.


• Don't apologize, and don't take responsibility for the failure. You may want to just express regret that the opportunity did not work out.


• Don't talk about "how difficult this is for me." You still have a job, and the employee may resent your indulging in your discomfort.


• Have documentation of transgressions or poor evaluations on hand, but don't use them unless necessary. Make sure that the documentation is 100 percent accurate so you aren't compromised in any future legal proceedings.


• Aim for a 5- to 10-minute meeting. Maintain control of the session and don't stray from the central issue. If the employee gets argumentative, keep your responses measured and factual.


• Hold the meeting in a private area. If no neutral area is available or appropriate, the supervisor's office is fine.


• The ideal number of people representing the firm is usually two. (You want a witness, and you don't want someone to be alone with an employee who could get combative.) The person who evaluated the employee should participate, and the other representative might be from human resources.


• Arrange for the employee to remove personal effects in private.


• Terminate employees before Friday. Most experts prefer this timing because you're not ruining someone's weekend; the employee can immediately consult with a counselor, attorney, or other helpful professional; and fellow employees aren't building questions or anger over an entire weekend.


• Terminate employees at the end of the day. Letting someone go earlier can imply severe wrongdoing and "defame by innuendo."


• Try to avoid terminating employees around holidays or birthdays.


• Determine what will be said to remaining employees. The best route is usually to be quite general ("It just didn't work out") while avoiding dishonesty.


• Offer a delayed telephone exit interview, if appropriate, to demonstrate respect for the employee's observations and ideas.


• Try to end the termination meeting on an upbeat note, such as your organization's willingness to provide transition tools to the employee.


• Document the termination conference.


• If you need to terminate some employees and layoff others, try to do the terminating first. If you let everyone go at the same time, the laid off employees may blame their departures on failure to get rid of the poor performers.


Talking pains to terminate employees sensitively is the humane thing to do, and it is good business. You want a reputation for fairness and compassion throughout your industry and community, and you want to minimize any risk of litigation or charges of discrimination within your organization.


Remember that employers with 100 or more employees are covered by WARN--the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act. Effected nationally in February 1989, the act required employers to provide at least 60 days notice of plant closings and mass layoffs.

NOOSE in the NEWS!!!!!!

WHAT?

It's TRUE! Can U believe this still happens? SHAME ON Crom Companies!

FLORIDA CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES SUED FOR RACIAL HARASSMENT, THREATENING BLACK WORKER WITH NOOSE

EEOC Says Crom Companies Subjected African Americans to Racial Insults, Physical Abuse
MIAMI – The Crom Corporation and Crom Equipment Rentals violated federal law when they allowed the racial harassment of black employees, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today. The EEOC also says the Florida-based construction companies unlawfully suspended an African American employee for complaining about severe racial insults, threats and physical abuse.


According to the suit, a white employee at Crom’s Holly Hill, Fla., location locked a black coworker in a tool shed and then spray-painted the shed door with the word “Jail.” The EEOC said that the same white employee also put a hangman’s noose around the black employee’s neck, hung the noose in his work area, and threatened to decapitate him. Another African American employee was offended when he saw the noose hanging at the Holly Hill site. Crom was aware of the harassment but didn’t stop it, according to the suit. Instead, the EEOC said, Crom suspended the black worker after he complained about the noose and rewarded the white offender with a higher-paying position.


“It is shocking and sobering that such cruelty can still occur at an American workplace,” said EEOC Acting Chairman Stuart J. Ishimaru. “The EEOC will not falter in its quest to put an end to such injustice.”
Racial harassment violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida (EEOC v. The Crom Corporation, Case No. 1:09-cv-00128-SPM-AK) after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement.


EEOC Miami District Director Jacqueline McNair said, “Even in 2009, nooses still make their way into work environments. The EEOC will vigorously prosecute cases with this sort of workplace terror.”



EEOC Miami Regional Attorney Nora E. Curtin, added, “The nightmarish abuse endured in this case is appalling. The hangman's noose is a haunting symbol of racial hatred and must never be tolerated. Employers must take swift and meaningful action to punish those responsible for such outrageous conduct.”


Crom Corporation and Crom Equipment Rentals sell concrete water tanks and scaffolding and operate throughout Florida and in at least nine other states.
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.

Would YOU hire you?

Darlene McDaniel hits the nail right on the point! Think about it; if you wouldn't hire YOU, why would you expect someone else to?!!!!!

Would You Hire You?

May 31, 2009 by Darlene McDaniel
courtesy of www.bizzia.com

So many of you are out there in the market competing for jobs. Prior to the unemployment rate increasing, HR departments were very good at communicating rejection to job seekers.


If you applied, received an interview, typically you received a phone call or letter to let you know the status of your application. Today, not so. Many job seekers interview for a job, and then go home and wait by the phone. Unfortunately, the waiting may seem eternal when you don’t hear back from the organization one way or theno other. So my suggestion is to prepare for rejection. It is inevitable if you are seriously pursuing job opportunities. Here are three ways to help you prepare for rejection.


First, as you work your job search strategy, plan for “no”. In a perfect world, you would get a job offer every time you meet with an organization, but that is unrealistic. You are not going to get a job offer every time. So plan for it. Prepare yourself mentally so that you don’t allow discouragement to creep in. Every “no” is an opportunity to make an adjustment and keep moving forward in your search.


Second, keep your pipeline full of potential job opportunities. Don’t allow yourself to put all your hope on one job. If you have an opportunity to interview for a great job that you believe was tailor made for you. Find another one. Give yourself options so that if the opportunity doesn’t work out, you still have other opportunities where you are competing.


My third recommendation for you as you handle rejection in your job search is to learn how to self correct. If you are not getting job offers and no one is willing to give you feedback, than you have to learn how to assess the interviews, get input on your resume/cover letter, make minor or major adjustments and stay in the game. Self correction takes the anger and frustration out of the rejection.


Look at your self with an objective eye and ask yourself of you would really hire you based on your responses, your resume, your experience, etc.? If you wouldn’t hire your self than why should anyone else?

Sodermeyer More Experienced Judge When Nominated to Supreme Court

What do you think of Sonia Sotomayor as the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice? WOW!

Judge Sotomayor nominated to high Federal Court
First Hispanic nominated to Supreme Court


WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama chose federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor as the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice on Tuesday, praising her as “an inspiring woman'' with both the intellect and compassion to interpret the Constitution wisely.


Obama said Sotomayor has more experience as a judge than any current member of the high court had when nominated, adding she has earned the “respect of colleagues on the bench, the admiration of many lawyers who argue cases in her court and the adoration of her clerks, who look to her as a mentor.''


Standing next to Obama at the White House, Sotomayor recalled a childhood spent in a housing project in the Bronx as well as her upper-echelon legal career: “I strive never to forget the real world consequences of my decisions on individuals, businesses and government.''


Barring the unexpected, Senate confirmation seems likely, given the large Democratic majority. If approved, she would join Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the second woman on the current court, the third in history. She would succeed retiring Justice David Souter.


Senate Republicans pledged to give her a fair hearing. Given her background, any decision to filibuster could carry political risks, since Hispanics are the fastest-growing segment of the population and an increasingly important one politically.


Sotomayor would be unlikely to alter the ideological balance of the court, since Souter generally sides with the liberals on key 5-4 rulings. But at 54, she is a generation younger that Souter, and liberal outside groups hope she will provide a counterpoint to some of the sharply worded conservative rulings.


Introducing his choice, Obama said, “Along the way, she's faced down barriers, overcome the odds and lived out the American dream that brought her parents here so long ago.''


The president called on the Senate to confirm Sotomayor before the court begins its new term in October, and noted pointedly that she has already won Senate approval twice in her career.


She was nominated a federal judge by a Republican, President George H.W. Bush, then elevated to the appeals court by a Democrat, Bill Clinton. Senate Republicans slow-walked her confirmation more than a decade ago, in part because she was viewed even then as a potential pick for the Supreme Court.


The White House announcement ceremony was a picture of diversity, the first black president, appointing the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, joined by Vice President Joe Biden, who is white.


Sotomayor's nomination opens a new phase in the drive to replace Souter, as liberal and conservative groups alike scour the record she has compiled in 17 years on the federal bench.


In one of her most notable decisions, as an appellate judge she sided last year with the city of New Haven, Conn., in a discrimination case brought by white firefighters. The city threw out results of a promotion exam because too few minorities scored high enough. Coincidentally, that case is now before the Supreme Court.


That ruling has already drawn criticism from conservatives, and is likely to play a role in her confirmation hearing.


In one of her most memorable rulings as federal district judge, in 1995, Sotomayor ruled with Major League Baseball players over owners in a labor strike that had led to the cancellation of the World Series.


Obama referred to that in his remarks, then joked he hoped her support for the Yankees would not unduly influence New Englanders to oppose her in the Senate.


Among them is Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who said, “The American people will want the Senate to carry out its constitutional duty with conscientiousness and civility.''


The Senate Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, issued a statement that said: “Senate Republicans will treat Judge Sotomayor fairly. But we will thoroughly examine her record to ensure she understands that the role of a jurist in our democracy is to apply the law evenhandedly, despite their own feelings or personal or political preferences.''


In his remarks, Obama made no mention of his earlier statement that he wanted a justice with empathy, although his remark that compassion was needed came close.



Sotomayor grew up in New York after her parents moved from Puerto Rico. She has dealt with diabetes since age 8 and lost her father at age 9, growing up under the care of her mother in humble surroundings. As a girl, inspired by the Perry Mason television show, she knew she wanted to be a judge.


A graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School, a former prosecutor and private attorney, Sotomayor became a federal judge for the Southern District of New York in 1992. She became an appeals judge in 1998 for the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers New York, Vermont and Connecticut.


At her Senate confirmation hearing more than a decade ago, she said, “I don't believe we should bend the Constitution under any circumstance. It says what it says. We should do honor to it.''


Obama's nomination is the first by a Democratic president in 15 years.


One conservative group did not wait for the formal announcement. Wendy Long of the Judicial Confirmation Network, issued a statement calling Sotomayor a “liberal judicial activist of the first order who thinks her own personal political agenda is more important that the law as written.''


Abortion rights have been a flashpoint in several recent Supreme Court confirmations, although Sotomayor has not written any controversial rulings on the subject.


As a federal appeals court judge in 2002, she ruled against an abortion rights group that had challenged a government policy prohibiting foreign organizations receiving U.S. funds from performing or supporting abortions.


In her opinion, Sotomayor wrote that the government was free to favor the anti-abortion position over a pro-choice position when public funds were involved.


Sotomayor has spoken about her pride in her ethnic background and has said that personal experiences “affect the facts that judges choose to see.''


“I simply do not know exactly what the difference will be in my judging,'' she said in a speech in 2002. “But I accept there will be some based on my gender and my Latina heritage.''

From the moment Souter announced his resignation, it was widely assumed Obama would select a woman to replace him, and perhaps a Hispanic as well.


Obama came to office at a time when several potential vacancies loomed on the high court. Justice John Paul Stevens at is 89, and Ginsburg recently underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer.



By Ben Feller - Associated Press Writer

Advice: How to Get Feedback from an Interview

Alina Dizik cuts right to the heart of the matter of how to find out if you actually interviewed well! And that is NO easy task! Read on! What do YOU think?

Advice: How to Get Feedback from an Interview
By Alina Dizik

Getting interview feedback from a recruiter can help build your interview skills, but it’s important to use the right approach when asking–so you don’t harm your chances of landing the job, says Bill McGowan, founder of Clarity Media Group, a New York-based training and communications firm. Mr. McGowan offers advice on how to gather feedback during the job search.


What should you keep in mind when asking for feedback?
Don’t ask for feedback in a way that makes you sound defensive or insecure. Rather than say, ‘I’m afraid I might have come across unsure of my credentials,’ try, ‘I hope I was successful in thoroughly and clearly establishing why my credentials make me a good fit for this position.’ Remind them that this feedback is something you welcome in an effort to evolve and improve your own abilities, since you put a premium on effective communication skills. Do not give them the impression that you’re asking for feedback just to create more work for them. Keep your request for feedback professional, focused on your experience, expertise, recommendations from others and your ability to effectively convey what makes you a good candidate and distinctive from the other applicants.


How do you approach getting feedback–what are some of the logistics?
An email the following day thanking them for their time is the best vehicle in which to request feedback. But don’t ask for feedback with a tone that assumes the feedback is going to be negative. So perhaps saying, ‘I know you have a number of candidates to consider, and each of us likes to think we performed well in the interview. But there’s tremendous value in receiving feedback from your objective viewpoint. Embracing feedback as an opportunity to learn is how I’ve managed to grow and improve my skills in all of my previous positions, so thank you in advance for sharing any observations you feel would be constructive.’ If you do not get the job, it might be useful to send a follow-up email asking if the position went to someone else based on experience, or was the interview the determining factor.


What should a job seeker not ask when requesting interview feedback?
Try not to ask for feedback in areas that would make employers feel uncomfortable. For example, don’t ask if they thought you were dressed inappropriately, or whether your age was a negative. If you have a strong speech impediment or accent, do not ask if that torpedoed your chances.


How does feedback from an interviewer help in the job search?
Three themes must come through in any job interview and you must ask the interviewer to give you feedback as to whether you were clear in making these points: How your specific previous experience has given you the skills and tools that would allow you to excel in the job you’re seeking, how your advance research of the prospective employer revealed a number of project areas that dovetail with what you’re professionally passionate about, and what makes you distinctive from the other candidates they’ve interviewed.


After what type of interview should you seek feedback?
Any type of job that requires client relations and the skills necessary for successfully interacting with people on a regular basis will make it all the more important that you perform well in a job interview: public relations, marketing or sales. Many people do not ask for feedback for fear they’re going to hear criticism. Improving job interviewing skills requires a thick skin and a determination to improve through critical self examination.


What should job hunters avoid?
Do not let your request for feedback stand alone. It should be couched in a broader thank you note–otherwise, it’s as if you’re giving the interviewer more work to do. Don’t approach the request from a standpoint of insecurity, like, ‘I’m afraid I might have come off as lacking confidence.’ Dont’ ask simplistically, ‘How did I do?’


Who else besides a recruiter can you ask for feedback?
Visiting a job interviewing coach can be a useful way to spar with a professional communications analyst in advance of your interview. Short of that, videotape yourself role-playing through a job interview with a family member or friend, and then examine the video with a mentor for constructive criticism. Even without a mentor, looking at yourself on tape is an amazing learning tool.


Readers, do you find feedback from past interviews are valuable learning tool? How have you obtained feedback from previous interviews?


You can comment here on this blog or at http://blogs.wsj.com/laidoff/2009/05/19/advice-how-to-get-feedback-from-an-interview/