25 Ways to Sabotage Your Job Search: The First Steps

Guest Post by Kristyn L. Graham

Kristyn L. Graham is a nationally certified and accredited professional resume writer who has written over 10,000 resumes. Currently she is partnering with Crafted Resume & Career Services, LLC. Kristyn has shared a series of tips that will post over the next few weeks to assist job seekers who commonly but unknowingly sabotage their job search efforts.

Enjoy, 

When you're job hunting, you can go mad if you think about the amount of factors beyond your control that affect your chances of getting hired. The economy, your location, industry trends – even the hiring manager's mood – can influence whether or not you get a job. Still, as nice as it would be to blame your lack of offers on external factors, you can't forget that the common denominator in your job hunt – from the résumé to the interview – is you.  Here are the first 5 of the 25 ways you might be unknowingly sabotaging your own job search:

The first steps

1. Not keeping track of your accomplishments

When you're happy with your job, it's easy to forget about possible future job hunts. You never know when you'll end up looking for new work, and if you don't keep a running list of awards, promotions and accomplishments, you might not remember them when it's time to update your résumé.

2. Leaving on a bad note

As much fun as it is to fantasize about telling off a bad boss, don't actually do it. Leaving a trail of angry bosses or co-workers will come back to haunt you when you need references.

3. Not networking

If you're silent about your job search, your friends, family and colleagues won't think of you when they hear about job opportunities.

4. Only using the Internet

Online job boards are fantastic resources, but you need to do some footwork if you want to increase your chances of finding a job. Contact companies that you'd like to work for, even if there are no job listings. Not all companies advertise openings online.

5. Searching only for the perfect job

Yes, your job search should be focused. After all, applying to every job posting that comes your way is a good way to waste time but not an effective way to find a job you want. However, if you approach your job hunt unwilling to accept anything less than the precise job title, pay, vacation time and hours you want, you're setting yourself up for disappointment.