Don't write a resume.
Instead of sending out a resume, talk about who you are. Whenever someone asks for something in writing to send to a contact ask to speak to the contact instead. Don't post a resume online but do post to blogs and other websites in your field.
WHY NOT - we often rely on resumes - sending them out blindly - be deleted or discarded. When we talk to people directly we have a better shot at making the right contacts and selling ourselves.
Don't prepare for an interview.
When you prepare for an interview you often prepare speeches about yourself. You may do lots of research you are dying to share with the interviewer. You may have even rehearsed how greet the interviewer and conduct yourself in the interview.
WHY NOT - when we prepare we can lose the spontaneity of the interaction. We can be so polished that we are not natural. We can even forget to listen to the interviewer's questions and body language. Prepare but don't lose yourself.
Do say no to a job offer.
Don't say yes to every job offer. Don't say yes to an offer that wants you to relocate or travel when you don't. Don't be afraid of saying that this job is not for you.
WHY NOT - Even in a bad economy you want to be able to say no to a poor offer. Taking a salary with a low starting point can cause problems in the future. You may never catch up - it's just not possible to have your salary jump that much in the organization you joined. You may have to explain to a future employer why you took a lower salary and why you want more with them. Hoping that the travel will die down or that the work you didn't like will get better is a long shot at best. Taking a job you don't want may make you demotivated and disgruntled.
Don't look for a job.
Don't go to job fairs or job-hunting events. Don't apply online or register at a job bank. Don't ask for job leads or look in the job section.
WHY NOT - Most of these ways don't lead to a job so focus on the ones that do. Go to events where there are people with jobs who have information for you on what companies might be open to you (unlike most job-hunting events where there are lots of people without jobs and no information for you). Put up a webpage, go onto blogs or publish articles to get your message out there and people contacting you. Meet with people but ask for contacts or data not only jobs. And forget reading the jobs wanted and start reading the business section to find out what's going on and how that's going to effect you.
David Couper is a career coach and writer who for the last twenty years has worked in Europe, Asia, and in the USA with major organizations including the BBC, Fuji Television, Mattel, Sony, and Warner Bros.
He has successfully coached individuals at all levels including CEOs of major companies wanting a new challenge, frustrated souls wanting to make their dream come true, and front-line employees laid off and desperate to get a job.
David has published seven books. His works on interpersonal skills, counseling in the workplace, and management issues (published by Connaught, Gower, HRD Press, Longman, Macmillan/Pearson Publishing, Oxford University Press) have been translated into Swedish, Polish, and Danish, and published in the UK and the USA.
David has a degree in Communication, a postgraduate qualification in education, is certified in a number of training technologies, and has a Masters in Psychology. He is a member of the American Society of Training and Development, Society of Human Resources Professional, Writers Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television.
He has dual US/UK citizenship and speaks French and Japanese.
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