Failure to look within before looking outside:

Self-assessment is the key to a successful job search. Before you begin, take the time to look inside and ask, "What have I to offer?"

Failure to approach the job search as a multifaceted process:

A good campaign mixes at least three of the following methods:

• Personal networking
• Using temporary placement agencies
• Answering classified ads
• Doing research
• Conducting a direct-mail campaign and targeting (the thorough analysis of one or two companies).

Do some of each, but be sure that you spend at least half of your time on "personal networking." Studies show that about 70% of all jobs are filled through personal contacts.

Failure to plan and organize a campaign:

Map out each week ahead of time.

Failure to keep careful records of everyone you meet and everything you do:

A month from now, you may be talking to someone whom you've spoken to before, and you might not remember what was said in the initial meeting. Information is the job seeker's most powerful tool.

Failure to maintain the ideal job seekers attitude: NON-JUDGMENTAL:

Treat everyone with warmth and courtesy. Realize that in a job search you get back what you put in. If you're putting out positive energy, you will connect with people much more easily.

Failure to spend enough time on the telephone:

Productivity in any campaign is directly related to the number of calls you make. It is easy to fall into a campaign of sending resumes and writing letters. Spend 50% of your time on the telephone. That's the way everything happens. It's more personal. It also forces you to call people whom you know-essentially doing the networking that you might otherwise neglect. If you have a goal of meeting 10 people a week, the only way you can do it is by using the telephone.

Failure to maintain your vitality during a campaign:

Work to keep mentally and physically fit. A good campaign is a combination of work, rest, exercise, and good diet. Some people think that if six hours a day of job searching is good, 10 hours will get the job done that much faster. But such people usually burn themselves out.

Failure to prepare ahead of time for interviews:

Go to the library and get an annual report, do online research or go to our corporate reports page. Find out:

   1. Size of the company
   2. Products or services
   3. Any problems in the company
   4. Any problems in the industry.

Failure to maintain good grooming and personal appearance:

Take care of your appearance, even when dressed informally for networking. First impressions are hard to change.

Failure to send thank-you notes:

Always send thank-you notes to people in the network who have helped you.

Failure to follow up:

...and follow up....and follow up. Getting a job is a social process. The interaction among people is what makes jobs happen.

(reprinted from Career Waves)