Try these sure-fire ways to sabotage your job search

I talked in my last article about how your attitude may be sabotaging your job search. Hopefully, if you’ve been wallowing in self-pity, you have that out of your system. Maybe the stories of the two women I cited have encouraged you. Now, I’m going to highlight ways you may be sabotaging your job search without realizing it.

Have a goofy email address - What does your email address say about you? I put up a vehicle for sale on Craig’s list the other day. One response came from someone with "git-r-done" in their address. Another came from someone whose display name was "busy drinkin'". How excited do you think I am about selling a car to her? I also received a note from a friend of mine who is a small business owner in the Charlotte region. They are looking for a helper for their business of refinishing hardwood floors. Guess how they responded to the guy whose email address is "callmedirtydave"? Yeah, he’s still looking for work.

This is foolish. There is nothing wrong with you having a fun, personalized email address. However, if you’re looking for work, get an address with Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, Juno, or another company. They are FREE. Use your name (Mark.Burch) or first initial and last name (mburch). Use this account for all of your professional correspondence. Keep your silly name account within your family and circle of friends. Otherwise, don’t expect to be taken seriously.

Poor quality resume - I am amazed at the poor quality of resumes that people send out. This is your sales brochure and is the ticket to getting reviewed for a job, and even getting the first interview. I personally am a stickler for spelling. In my work, I am focused on perfection. If you send me a resume that is of poor quality or contains errors, I’ll throw you out of consideration immediately. With all of the tools out there, it is unacceptable to have errors like this in your resume.

There are many free resources to help you develop your resume. Develop one that is easy to read and quickly conveys the skills you bring to the job. Don’t lie or over exaggerate. You have likely 10 - 15 seconds to capture the attention of your reader. Do it well.

Poor communication skills - If you’re not prepared for the interview and answer questions poorly, you will kill your prospects of getting an offer. And it’s not just verbal communication skills. Your body language accounts for 55% of the communication process, and tone of voice another 38%. You need to be on top of your game and convey interest in the job. If you cannot successfully communicate the value you bring to the job, you won’t get it. Nobody owes you a job, and competition is tougher than ever for all jobs, even lower skilled ones.

I hope that by now you are ready to accept responsibility for your job success if you haven’t already. If you’re discouraged, then change the process by which you are seeking employment. Use these difficult times to develop your character. You should be reading more books rather than watching TV, and getting exercise, even if it’s just walking. In any case, go out and create your success!