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Career coaches on the biggest mistakes people make in the job search
Overemphasizing what you want
Show a company what you can do for them. Don't put too much emphasis on what you want.
For instance, when asked "Why do you want to work here?", don't start with "I want to grow..." They really want to know how will you contribute to their business. Reframe your answer and use it to draw attention to the solutions you can provide. Furthermore, share how you've done it before.
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Starting with you
Focus on you first as the foundation. Your beliefs, attitude, and energy will determine your success. Spend time building up your confidence.
- Jot down your competencies, character traits, core strengths.
- Craft a narrative about your future ambitions and repeat them daily.
Thinking like a historian
Your resume is a marketing document, not an autobiography that details every past role and responsibility. Your objective it trying to prompt a purchase decision, which is to invite you in for an interview.
Delve into job boards and companies' careers pages. Pull a few postings, and find what theme or criteria keep coming up. For instance, if you continually find that they need someone who can solve complex problems and navigate ambiguity, and you can do that, then put it in your resume.
Looking at the big picture
Remember all of the skills you bring to the table. If you're applying for a project management role, consider highlighting the complementary skills you bring to the table. However, it should be a value add, not a random sidebar of your career.
Showing how your specific background allows you to bring a new perspective to your work will help you to stand out above other candidates.
Overemphasizing what you want
Show a company what you can do for them. Don't put too much emphasis on what you want.
For instance, when asked "Why do you want to work here?", don't start with "I want to grow..." They really want to know how will you contribute to their business. Reframe your answer and use it to draw attention to the solutions you can provide. Furthermore, share how you've done it before.
Relying on job postings
Online job boards are only a small percentage of the available market. Hiring managers are flooded with resumes from online job boards and might not look at every one.
Instead, spend more time networking with friends, second-degree connections, or keep an ear open for positions before they're posted. Hiring managers will naturally start with candidates who've already been vetted.
Networking
It is too late to try and network when you need something. Networking is about mutually beneficial professional relationships developed over time.
Start by connecting with three different contacts a week. Then, when you want to find a job, you have many people to support you.
Following up
Most hiring managers receive a large volume of applications. It is impossible for them to screen everyone.
It is a mistake if you have spent time acting on an opportunity with a great resume and cover letter, and then not following up. Follow up with every position.
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'So, Tell me about Yourself'
... or some version of that is one of the most fundamental and common questions asked in any first round of a Job Interview.
Hiring managers usually like to ask this question, because it ...
Short vs long answers
The conventional expert opinion is to provide a crisp, 30 second to 1-minute answer to the question "Tell me about yourself", but one minute isn’t enough time to deliver a meaningful response that benefits you as a candidate.
Experts prefer a short answer, as it has less chance of leading the candidate to drift or ramble.
Benefits of a long answer
- A longer answer to "Tell me about yourself" allows you to provide a useful narrative beyond the résumé.
- It lets you reveal key motivations that drove your career path.
- You can shape the interview in your direction.
- It's an opportunity to stand out from the other candidates.
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Key Ideas
Purpose of Career Networking
It involves using personal, professional, academic or familial contacts to assist with a job search, achieve career goals, or learn more about your field, or another field you'd like to work in....
Top 7 Networking Tips
- Include the right people: anyone who can assist you with a career move
- Know what your career network can do for you
- Keep in touch - work your network: People are more willing to help when they know who you are
- Give to get - what can you do for your career network
- Keep track of your network:
make sure you know who is who, where they work, and how to get in touch.
- Network online
- Attend networking events.
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Key Ideas
Networking is necessary
We have to get over the belief that being competent and qualified means we shouldn't need help finding a new job.
We feel this way because networking makes us feel vulnerable. We are a...
Networking is effective
Hiring managers want job candidates whom they know they can trust. That is why they prefer candidates who come through personal referrals.
Referrals have a 50 percent chance of getting an interview, while non-referrals have only a 3 percent chance. Referrals or internal candidates fill up to 80 percent of jobs.
How to network
Networking is not just talking to strangers - it is also initiating career conversations with your existing acquaintances.
Keep these questions in mind: Can your siblings, neighbors, friends, hairdresser or other regular contacts describe your aspirations and particular expertise in one or two sentences? Can you explain theirs?
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