| Five Dumb Things People Do To Mess Up Their Career
Search |
| By
Tracy A. Bumpus, CPRW, JCTC |
|
1. They don't
think ahead.
One of the most common mistakes, lack of forward
planning, is a major hurdle in job and career transition. People who make this
dumb mistake fail to think further than the end of the week regarding their
entire careers. These are the people who get hit hardest by layoffs and
reorganizations. They haven't given thought to where they are driving their
careers or what road they will take. They are in "D" on the gearshift, but are
severely jolted by detour signs and large potholes in the road. Common
mentality-"It can't happen to me." |
|
| Remedy for this
mistake: write out a formal plan for your career that encompasses three time
periods-6 months from the present, 12 months from the present, and 3 years from
the present. For each time period, state goals and objectives and then detail a
plan for meeting those goals and objectives. |
|
Have a "What If"
plan (a.k.a. Contingency Plan) for the following:
• Unexpected layoff
or release
• Disability
• Major industry shift in direction
or market shift
• Promotion freeze
• Job burnout §
Sudden change in family dynamics |
|
| Keep the
résumé updated and the personal network warm at all
times. |
|
2. They do not
take a proactive approach to job search.
People who make this dumb
mistake are "fishers." They feel they can throw their résumé out
onto the net, tie the line to their big toe, and go to sleep and a BIG MONEY
DEAL that is exactly what they want will instantly take the bait. WRONG! Hard,
fast, basic truths about job search: |
|
It's hard work.
It takes time.
You get out of it what you put into it.
Your
attitude shows in everything you do. |
|
3. They don't
invest themselves.
Notice I didn't say they invest money. While
the average job search budget is about 1% of the targeted minimum salary, the
time and effort that someone invests in the job search is most valuable. People
who make this stupid mistake go about things halfway. They get by with the
minimum-minimum effort, minimum planning, minimum cost, and minimum enthusiasm.
And guess what such people receive? MINIMUM RESULTS! |
|
4. They
procrastinate.
I recently had a client who finally got the
revisions to the first draft of his résumé back to me 13 MONTHS
after I originally delivered it to him. Procrastination leads to crisis living.
Life is just one big deadline with major disasters looming for people who
procrastinate. Procrastinating in career planning and job search results in:
|
|
Lost opportunities.
Poor approach.
Slow career progression. |
|
5. They don't
educate themselves.
People who make this mistake don't keep up with
industry changes that affect their career much less marketing their career.
They often bury themselves in their company environment or just in their
department and lose sight of where the industry as a whole is heading. As a
result, they often find themselves woefully behind the times in skills and
knowledge, not only within their career fields but also about how to change
jobs. |
|
| Job search is like
any other concept-it has been revolutionized by the advent of technology,
especially the Internet. If you don't understand how those changes affect how a
job search is conducted (and don't hire a consultant to help you with it), you
are at a distinct disadvantage. |
|
| Case in point: I
recently had a client who had been with IBM for 35 years in a very, very
specialized niche. He decided he was ready to make a move to another company
but he was virtually unmarketable due to his age, lack of broader industry
knowledge, and the fact that only two or so other companies in the entire world
needed people with his particular expertise. He only knew internal terminology
for processes and products and couldn't relate his job to other companies or
other positions. He also thought his résumé should be 14 pages
long and should describe in detail his entire, project-laden work history with
Big Blue. He was not open to taking advice concerning his job search even
though he was paying for such advice. Unless he educated himself or opened
himself to being educated, he faced failure in his career
transition. |
|
| Learn how to use
technology in your job search. It's no longer an option. Learn how
to: |
|
Network online.
Decipher an online job advertisement.
Successfully post your
résumé online.
Determine which job boards are your best bets.
Market your career successfully. |
|
| ### |
Copyright, 2002. RezAMAZE.com. All
rights reserved.
Tracy Bumpus, CPRW, JCTC is Executive Director of
RezAMAZE.com, a career services firm that specializes in working with
professionals in the high tech and engineering industries. Mrs. Bumpus has been
published in six national best-selling job search books and has written for the
National Business Employment Weekly and Contract Professional. Mrs. Bumpus can
be contacted through her web site at http://www.rezamaze.com or via email at
tbumpus@rezamaze.com. |
|
