25 Ways to Sabotage Your Job Search: After The Interview

Guest Post by Kristyn L. Graham

After the interview

21. Not sending a thank-you note

Interview etiquette extends beyond the goodbye handshake. Follow up with the interviewer by sending a thank-you note, either by e-mail or in the mail. Not only is it standard business practice, it's also common courtesy. 

22. Being over-aggressive in follow-up

Thanking the hiring manager for the interview is acceptable. You can even check in to see if a candidate's been hired if you were given a deadline for the decision. However, calling, e-mail or stopping by the office repeatedly is not persistent; it's annoying.

23. Not learning from your mistakes

Not every interview goes off without a hitch, so don't beat yourself up if you flubbed an answer or two. However, if you don't take the time to review each interview you go on, you're bound to repeat the same mistakes again and again. 

24. Forgetting where you've applied and interviewed

After a few weeks, you've applied at more than dozen places and probably interviewed with a few companies. Eventually it's harder to remember where you've sent a résumé or interviewed, and applying to the same place makes you look like an applicant who applies to any posting that pops up, not the best fit. 

25. Stopping your job search while you wait for a response

Even if your interview for the job of a lifetime went well, don't freeze your job hunt while you wait to hear back. For a variety of reasons you might not get the job, or you might stumble upon an even better opportunity. You don't have anything to lose by continuing the hunt.

6 Job Tips to Jumpstart your New or Current Career

For some of you who are starting a new job, or for those of you who have been at your current job for years but are looking for some new ways to stay on your bosses good side and simply stay one step ahead of your colleagues; perhaps these 6 job tips could make a difference when the next big promotion becomes available. Good Luck!

1) Attitude – No one wants to work with a “‘sour-puss”, someone who drains all your energy, and complains all the time about every little thing. Your attitude toward work should reflect your duties and responsibilities and that should energize you and others around you to keep you motivated throughout the day. Of course you can approach your work formally, fulfilling your major duties with accuracy and on time. But an employee with “drive” and the right “attitude" who is enthusiastic and creative about their work is much more interesting for the employer. 

2) Creativity - your ability to offer exceptional ideas and innovative methods. You have a goal and you know how to achieve it. This quality is especially important for design, marketing, advertising, and will present you an advantage in any sphere of business. 

3) Result-oriented – Can you always complete what you began doing or are you a procrastinator? No matter what difficulties you may have, you are to always complete it by the deadline, but consider if you can actually turn it in early, now wouldn’t that be a something special.  

4) Resilience - A man was walking, stumbled and fell down, and then he shook himself off and went on further. For example, you are taking part in a group discussion of some urgent problem. The idea you suggested made everyone laugh and no one approved it.  You got offended, went into your shell and stopped proving your point of view. Then your resilience is very low. You should be able to stand your ground and never ever give up. 

5) Leadership - Employers hire a young specialist hoping that he has great potential and in ten years time he will become a leader. Not everyone must be a leader and become a top manager afterwards. But a good manager, that is a person able to handle the organization of other people, is indispensable in any respectable company. Recognize your leadership skill; how you can nurture it and make it grow. 

6) Team-Work – many companies have a project system of management.  Several people work on a project. The success of the project depends on each member of the team. What matters here is your ability to get on with different people, find common language with all the staff and feel like a united team. “One for all and all for one.” In any business a strong team – is a pledge of successful fulfillment of the project. Communication skills are of primary importance for any sphere, as there is no area where we can do without communication. How to make others listen to you, how to present yourself, how to uphold your point of view. This is a mini list of essential communicative skills. And essential to the success of an effective team work environment.

25 Ways to Sabotage Your Job Search: The Interview

Guest Post by Kristyn L. Graham 

The interview

11. Showing up late

Nobody likes to be kept waiting, especially hiring managers evaluating whether or not you would make a good employee. 

12. Dressing for the wrong job

Your interview attire should match the dress code of the company, or be one step up. If the office dress code is business casual, wearing jeans and a T-shirt won't work in your favor. On the other hand, if you're told dress is casual, you'll stick out if you show up wearing a double-breasted suit. 

13. Not asking questions

When the interview comes to a close, the hiring manager will undoubtedly ask if you have any questions for him or her. Not asking anything is the equivalent of saying, "I don't care all that much about the job." 

14. Badmouthing a former boss

When you talk to hiring managers about a previous employer, you're also talking about them. The way you talk about a previous employer is how interviewers think you'll talk about them in the future, so keep it civil.  

15. Not paying attention

Another way to show you don't care much about the job is to get distracted. Answering your phone, sending texts or digging through your bag tells the interviewer that your focus is anywhere except on the interview. 

16. Not researching the position

Your chief objective in an interview is convincing the hiring manager you're the best candidate for the job. How can you prove your qualifications if you don't have an idea of what skills you're expected to have and what your responsibilities will be? 

17. Not researching the company

Employers want to know that your motivation for work is more than a paycheck. If you demonstrate that you know something about the company's history, its goals and its culture, you prove you want to be a part of the company. 

18. Forgetting common etiquette

Don't cuss, chew gum, burp, take off your shoes, forget to shower or do anything else that's not appropriate in a business setting. Don't give the interviewer a reason not to hire you. 

19. Forgetting you're being interviewed from the moment you walk in

Just because you're not sitting down at a desk across from the hiring manager, don't think you're not being evaluated. For example, employers will often ask their receptionists if you were nice them. Even if your interview involves lunch or dinner, you're trying to get a job, not show off your ability to down tequila shots.

20. Bringing up salary too soon

A rule of thumb is that you should never bring up pay; let the hiring manager do it. Of course employers are aware that you want to know about the salary, so they will bring it up when the time is right. Appearing too concerned with money suggests you aren't passionate about the position or the company.

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.