3 Signs Youre Sabotaging Your Job Search - Work It Daily

3 Signs You’re Sabotaging Your Job Search - Work It Daily Signs You’re Sabotaging Your Job Search I talk to a lot of people who have gone through a job transition during the last few years. Although most people agree both the economy and job market are tough right now, I sometimes wonder if people really grasp just how challenging things are for a lot of people. Could you be sabotaging your job search? Related: Is Your Credit Score Hurting Your Job Search? Signs You’re Sabotaging Your Job Search There are some common themes among those who seem to be sabotaging their own job searches: You Think You Can Do It Alone It amazes me how many people have been out there looking for a job for quite a whileâ€"either full-time or while already workingâ€"who have never asked anyone for help. Granted, some people just don’t have the resources to hire a resume writer or job coach, but there’s no excuse for anyone to be sending out resumes that haven’t been proofread by at least two other people. Even people who don’t proofread professionally are likely to pick up errors that you’re missingâ€"simply because, as professional editors will tell you, “you’re too close to it.” If you think the interview process is where you’re getting tripped up, ask an honest friend or colleague to conduct a mock interview with you. You may be doing something seemingly insignificantâ€"like nervously laughing between answersâ€"you’re just never going to realize on your own. You could even take it one step further and videotape your mock interview. That will give you an opportunity to see yourself as others do. You're Turning Down Offers If you already have a job, then you’re perfectly justified in turning down a job offer that doesn’t seem like an upgrade. However, if you’ve been out there looking for a while, you should have a very compelling reason for turning down a job that’s offered to you. If you think about your friends who are currently employed, many of them are working fewer than ideal hours, doing more than one person’s job, or making less than they’d prefer. And you know what? They’re generally really, really thankful to be employed at all right now. It’s better to take a job that offers 85% of what you’re looking for than to hold out for a “perfect” job that may never come along. You're Talking About Your Job Search Too Little (Or Too Much) I know someone who couldn’t find a job for nearly two years after finishing his M.B.A. program. While that was clearly a very stressful time for him, he made the mistake of broadcasting his job search woes across his Facebook account several times a week. Over time, this behavior cast him in a very negative light among his social networkâ€"exactly the people who might have been helpful to him if he’d handled things differently. On the other hand, I know people who have been so embarrassed by their unemployment they never said a word about itâ€"which also completely negates the possibility of receiving help from a network. If you’ve been out of work for a while and can’t figure out what’s going wrong, take a moment to consider whether you’re appropriately asking others for helpâ€"and whether you have realistic expectations about what’s available in the job market right now. It may be that a small adjustment is the next step in making your job search successful! This post was originally published at an earlier date. Related Posts 5 Job Search Lessons You Learned In Kindergarten 8 Reasons Why You Don’t Hear Back From Recruiters 10 Ways To Turn Your Job Search Into A Full-Time Job About the author Jessica Holbrook Hernandez, CEO of Great Resumes Fast is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, and presenter. Want to work with the best resume writer? If you would like us to personally work on your resume, cover letter, or LinkedIn profileâ€"and dramatically improve their response ratesâ€"then check out our professional and executive resume writing services at GreatResumesFast.com or contact us for more information if you have any questions. Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here. Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!