Survey: Biggest Job Search Mistakes

OfficeTeam asked office professionals to share the biggest job search blunders they had heard of or witnessed firsthand.

Survey respondents were asked, "What is the biggest mistake you've heard of someone making during his or her job search?"

Answers included:

• "Someone interviewed for a position and was not given the job. But he showed up anyway, saying, 'Here I am!'"
• "An applicant came in with his recruiter and had the recruiter answer the questions."
• "A job seeker didn't hang up the phone after calling about a job. I overheard everything he said, and it wasn't good."
• "One gentleman submitted a resume that contained misspelled words and an orange juice stain."
• "When asked what he had been doing while unemployed, the applicant said, 'Staying home and watching TV.'"
• "One woman immediately described her faults to the interviewer and mentioned days she would need to take off."
• "During an interview, when asked what his greatest faults were, an applicant gave too many answers. He kept going and going and going."

Poor communication etiquette was a mistake cited often by survey respondents, including applicants following up too frequently, failing to return calls or show interest in the job, and talking too much or too little during the interview.

Behavior that also left a bad impression included job seekers who admitted they were only interested in the money or benefits, failed to research the company, or who were discourteous to employees in the office (for example, the office receptionist).

-- This survey was developed by OfficeTeam, a staffing service specializing in the placement of skilled administrative professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 500 individuals ages 18 or order.

Setting Yourself Apart From the "Competition"

Are you just "another resume writer"? Of course not! In your marketing efforts, you must demonstrate to clients the VALUE you offer to them. What makes you different and what makes you stand out from everyone else? (This applies whether you are targeting a local market, or clients across the nation.)

Areas of differentiation can include:

• Certification (value = expertise)

• Experience in the field (value = you know their industry; you speak their language)

• Accessibility -- easy to work with, hours that work for them, credit card acceptance, etc. (value = convenience)

• 1-on-1 In-depth interviews instead of forms (value = personal interaction and total customization)

• Affiliation (i.e., memberships in professional organizations). (value = current knowledge of trends and techniques in career management).

Answer this question:
"UNLIKE OTHER PEOPLE, I …"

Then you'll get people who say, "Call _x_ -- she does exactly what you need."

Role: Resume Writer? Cheerleader? Validator? Coach? Interviewer?

The answer is: "All of the above."

To be a good resume writer, you "must":

1. Be a good researcher / interviewer / listener

2. Have knowledge of journalism / writing principles.

3. Have "advertising" knowledge -- what makes people (employers) buy? What do I need to know to "sell" my clients to prospective employers?

4. Demonstrate Sales Skills / Customer Service Abilities. If you can't sell, you won't have anyone to write for. If you can't keep them happy, you won't have referrals or repeat business.

5. Utilize Time Management Skills. In order to make enough money to succeed, you need to write relatively fast and write relatively well. Being able to prioritize your time to manage your business (billing, invoicing, paying the bills), generate clients (advertising, marketing, referral relationship building), and write resumes is critical.

Where Are the Resume Writers Going?

I know the resume writing industry has a lot of turnover, but c'mon!

I recently sent out a mailing (snail mail -- a postcard, in fact) to 50 resume writers. Within the last week, four of the postcards have been returned as "Not Deliverable as Addressed." The problem isn't the mailing list; it's that these businesses no longer exist. That's 10% of them!

I sent out an e-mail to 300 new contacts (added in the last year), and had more than 30 returned e-mails (granted, some of them were changes in e-mail address), but a couple were practitioners who "no longer practiced."

Is it the nature of the industry, that it's easy to get into, and just as easy to leave? I've talked to colleagues (some who had been in the business a long time, mind you) who got out to take full-time jobs, or to focus on a different kind of writing (technical writing, or magazine article writing). I know it can be difficult to make money, especially in the beginning.

A colleague of mine and I have been trying for the past couple of years to get more new resume writers involved in the business locally. There are more clients than we can handle, and it would be nice to be able to refer them to someone good. We found someone who fit that description in Lincoln (hi, Angie!), but no luck so far in Omaha. Interested in moving to the biggest city in Nebraska?