By Anthony Balderrama,
Here's how every job seeker secretly hopes his or her search will go:
8:00 a.m. You see an ad for the job of your dreams: close to home, makes use of your skills, offers the right pay.
8:05 a.m. You apply for the job.
8:07 a.m. The hiring manager, out of breath, calls you. "We must have you. The CEO said to pay whatever you ask for -- we need you on our team ASAP!"
8:10 a.m. After you give your demands (a high salary and access to the company jet), you're faxed the job offer.
8:15 a.m. You head out the door to your first day of work.
In
reality, the process takes a few weeks or months longer, and you
probably won't get every single perk you want. Along the way, you don't
hear back from the companies you think are perfect matches for you, and
it takes weeks to get an interview after sending in your application.
You
probably spend a few days (at least) wringing your hands over whether
or not you'll ever find a job. No matter who you are and what industry
you're in, anxiety is just part of the process. But everyone has a
different breaking point, and after so many résumés, you're bound to
start asking, "I've sent out hundreds of applications -- why isn't
anyone hiring me?"
Here's a checklist for you to review so you can
either put your mind at ease ("It's not me; it's them") or revamp your
searching technique ("Well, it might be me"). Maybe the factors slowing
down your job hunt are not under your control. But it doesn't hurt to
double-check.
1. LocationBefore you start blaming
yourself for not getting any leads, take a look at your surrounding
area. Not all cities have the same job market. A dearth of construction
jobs in a northeastern suburb might be the polar opposite of the
situation in a southwestern boomtown. Whether or not you want to or can
relocate for your job is a personal matter, but you should consider the
unemployment rate of your region when assessing how your hunt is going.
2. Which jobsWhen
you look at how many applications you've sent out and how many you've
heard back from, you might want to divide the list into two columns:
jobs you expected to get and jobs you applied for on a whim.
Many
job seekers decide to send out applications for jobs they know they're
not qualified for, whether they just want a paycheck or they think it
would be fun to try a completely unrelated field -- even though they
know the odds of getting a call are slim. These Hail Mary passes are
perfectly acceptable, but don't consider their failures to be, well,
failures. The jobs that align with your experience, education and skills
are the ones that should be the gauge of your success.
3. The résuméHere's
where a lot of things go wrong. That one piece of paper, digital or
hard copy, causes a lot of problems. Here's a quick rundown of what you
should check:
· Is your contact information (including your name) listed so the employer can call or e-mail you?
·
Did you target the content to the job posting? Use the same phrasing,
list experience that correlates to the requirements and give specific
examples of achievements that will intrigue the employer.
· Did you attach the résumé as a document in an e-mail? For security
reasons, many employers won't open attachments, so your résumé might go
unread. In addition to the attachment, paste it in the body of the
e-mail to be safe.
· Was there a cover letter attached to it? No cover letter can mean no consideration for some hiring managers.
4. The interviewIf
you've been called in for interviews already, then you're doing
something right. Not getting a job after interviewing doesn't mean you
blew it -- it means you made the shortlist, but someone else might have
been a better fit. But it never hurts to review your performance.
An
interview is often a chance for the employer to see if you fit into the
company culture. Are you too rigid for a casual environment? Are your
verbal communication
skills good enough for your position? Hiring managers also use this
opportunity to learn about you in a way they can't through a résumé.
They want you to elaborate on your experience and answer any questions
they still have.
To make a good impression, preparation is key.
You don't want to sound rehearsed, but practicing your answers to
questions, your handshake, how you'll sit in the chair and anything else
you're likely to encounter will help you. If you can avoid being the
deer in the headlights, you'll be able to focus on the quality of your
answers.
5. AppearanceNot to be superficial, but presentation
means a lot. From the layout of your résumé to the wrinkles in your
interview attire, your professionalism is being judged. How are you
presenting yourself to employers?
Don't start your cover letter
with, "Hey!" and don't end it with a smiley-face emoticon. Your résumé
shouldn't be full of ClipArt butterflies and smiley faces. And you
should leave some white space between sections so that the entire page
isn't a single paragraph of text. The hiring manager needs to see a job
candidate who takes the job seriously, even before you're called in for
an interview.
During an interview, you should dress appropriately. That doesn't mean trying too hard -- say, a tuxedo for an administrative assistant's
job -- but it does mean dress for the environment and look like you
spent time preparing. If you're told the environment is business casual,
then you don't need a suit, but you still need to iron your pants.