When people receive emails from those they do not know, they may consider them "spam." They do not know you and therefore, why should they care about you or what you are after? If you are sending out a mass email into the cyber abyss, the people reading and receiving these can tell. It’s generic, impersonal and usually highly annoying to the reader. Why on earth should they help you? They do not know you and you have not taken the time to get to know them! Imagine you are a top manager somewhere going about your day job, but you consistently get emails from people asking for a job. Would you respond or want to help them? Unsurprisingly, this approach is a big waste of time. Targeted emails and/or letters – which have been thought through and proofread– are a better investment for you job search efforts.
2. Adding anyone you can find to LinkedIn network
I receive several invitations from people that I don't know asking to connect and "join their professional network" on LinkedIn. Do I accept these invitations? Nope! I usually send a message back asking how I can help. There is also a polite "Have we met!?" note that I sometimes use to hint at the fact that adding random people is not the best idea.
When people try to add random connections, what usually happens is the invited individual will click the ‘I don’t know this user’ button, which means you will never be able to contact that person again. If this occurs several times, LinkedIn will restrict you from openly contacting and connecting with people until you start acting professionally again.
3. Sending your resume/CV to anyone you can get your hands on
There have been many tunes that I have been sent a CV from an unknown person. So what am I supposed to do with it? Okay, there might be a chance that I have a job or know someone who does, but am I inclined to help if I’ve just had a random CV thrown in my face? Has it been specifically created and targeted i.e. aimed at me? On average, no. So I’m not going to spend much time looking at it or considering it if the person sending it hasn’t spent any time tailoring it for me.
So if you send out a CV to someone, ensure that it's targeted and that you know who they are and why they would be interested. But more importantly, make it obvious to the recipients that it’s targeted and that you chose them specifically.
4. Applying to all the job ads you can find
The other day I was talking on the phone to "Tom." He was down having been trying for many months to get a job. After asking how he has been going about his search, he explained how he sits for a couple hours each day going through jobsites and applying for all the roles he can find.
When asked if there’s something specific he is after, his reply is "no." Spending hours of your time applying for everything under the sun without any focus or way to distinguish yourself from the crowd will get you nowhere. All it will do is make you tired and frustrated.
5. Relying on recruitment agencies or headhunters
Tom also mentioned in our call that he expected to get more calls from recruiters after applying to various positions and sending out his CV.
You cannot rely on the agencies of headhunters to magically find a job for you. It does not work like that. They are sitting on countless CVs at any one time. Their CV database is huge. You are a number to them and they will only contact you if you happen to fit one of their roles. Given there are thousands of candidates for them to choose from, you cannot count on this as your only or main route to finding a job.
If you are looking for a new job and find any of the above true in your job search, it is time to review your job search efforts. If you want to get ahead, be smart about how you use your time. Re-evaluate your approach and get smarter. If you’re struggling in the market you might benefit from getting some guidance and support.
You can give us a buzz at Position Ignition to get that extra ‘ignition’ towards your next step, if you feel like you don’t want to go it alone! Otherwise just take a bit of time out to make sure that what you are doing is productive. Make a plan and execute it. Harness your network. Get smarter about how you spend your time job hunting. Cut out on the time wasting activities and focus focus focus.
Guest Expert:
Nisa Chitakasem is the founder of Position Ignition – a careers company dedicating to taking you to the next step in your career. Nisa is passionate about helping individuals find the right career path for them whether it involves finding a more rewarding career, making a career change, figuring out the right career plan or being creative about career directions.
Visit: www.positionignition.com or email: enquiries@positionignition.com to contact Nisa.
For more free advice, guidance and information from Nisa visit: Position Ignition Career Blog or find her on Twitter: PosIgnition
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