5 Mistakes Job Seekers Make

Get more satisfaction from your next job.  Here are 5 common mistakes that job seekers should avoid and how to fix them.

By Bill Rettig, Careers.org resource expert | January 18, 2016

Job seeker mistake #1:  Looking for a job without really knowing what you want in that job.

Looking for a job is also an opportunity to do some reflection on what we really want out of our career. If we overlook this step we may have the same issues that make us dissatisfied now.

You may have landed in your most recent position because of a long series of small decisions, but the end result hasn’t worked out.  Of course, your job pays your bills and helps provide a comfortable life. But it should also be satisfying and rewarding.  Yes, this may require a compromise, but that compromise is something that you should be in control of.

Start with an honest evaluation of the current situation in your career.  Being honest about what is working and what is not working in your job now will help shape the search for your next and, hopefully, great job.

Begin by making a short career inventory.  Take out some paper or go to your computer and do these self-reflection exercises.

• Write down your strengths at work.  Now list your weaknesses.  This is the moment to be honest with yourself.
• What skills do you have that are most desirable for an employer.
• Which of those skills do you enjoy using.   Which ones are you good at that you do not enjoy.
• Now describe what qualities you would like in your job and try to match that with what you qualities you have now.

Creating this assessment of yourself will force you to reflect on what you really want from a job.  Your current or last job may have been one that you found yourself in without really evaluating how it satisfied you.  Now may be the time to take a gut check before you begin to search for your next job.