Job Search Tips

One of my readers sent me an email stating that applying for jobs online wasn’t working for her. I just wanted to talk about this topic for a minute.

The fact is online job boards are one of the worst sources of jobs. It may seem that job boards hold the promise of numerous employment opportunities; the truth is that the vast majorities of positions are never advertised.

Unless you have very specific marketable skills job boards are probably not the answer to your job search problems. The best advice I can offer is to get out there and network. The more people you meet the better chance you will bump into some who is able and willing to hire you.

If you have been keeping you hat out of the job search ring because of the sluggish economy then read this article by Beth Gilfeather.  Now might be the perfect time to look for your next assignment.

I attended a Brian Tracy event in Fort Lauderdale last night. The event was amazing and as usual Brian Tracy offered great insights into personal success and achievement.

One of the topics covered at the event related to employment and job searching.  According to Mr. Tracy (and I believe this to be true) the average person learns how to perform their job in about 12 months.  Most people tend to coast after this. They don’t bother to develop themselves further. They do the minimum to get by,  they go on long coffee breaks, and they spend significant time engaging in idol chit chat with coworkers. In fact studies have shown that on average employees spend 50% of their work time in time wasting activities.

This becomes a problem when difficult economic times force  companies must implement layoffs. If you haven’t  steadily increased the value you offer your employer, you are in danger be being shown the door.

Coasting at work is still a problem if you company goes out of business. While it is true that you would have been let go regardless of the number of coffee breaks taken. The problem remains that because of those wasted hours you have less to offer the employment market. You have less doors open to you.

Don’t let this happen to you. One of the things that I coach my clients to do is to take on a self improvement project. Pick the one area of your professional life that is your greatest weakness. Then lay out a series of actions steps that you will undertake in order to turn this weakness into strength.

This project could be anything from mastering prospecting to becoming an excellent public speaker. There really are no limits to what skills you can improve if you set a goal and take immediate and consistent actions towards accomplishing that goal.

If you do this there will be much less chance that the world will pass you by.