• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Career Sherpa

Guide for Lifetime Career Navigation

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Home
  • About
  • Speaking
  • Get Advice
    • Job Search
    • Networking
    • Personal Branding
    • Interviewing
  • Blog
  • Contact

25 Habits to Break if You Want a Job

February 2, 2011 by Hannah Morgan

This post is one of many Career Collective posts by career and resume experts on Job-hunting “Rules” to Break/ Outdated Job-Search Beliefs. And Habits To Break if you want a new job.

I am honored to be part of this group and want to thank  Miriam Salpeter, of Keppie Careers, and Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, of Career Trend, for coordinating this initiative now on its second year.  You will find links to the other expert posts at the bottom.  I highly encourage you to read them all and bookmark them for future reference or sharing with friends and family.  If you are on Twitter, you can see our community by following #careercollective.

This advice goes out to new job seekers as well as seasoned job seekers.  It comes from those who have been in job search and have learned through the school of hard knocks.

These are the top 25 habits to break, or not fall into, if you want to land a job quickly:

25 Habits To Break If You Want A Job

  1. Only apply for jobs online
  2. Send the same generic cover letter to every job you apply to
  3. Use the same resume for every job you apply to
  4. Don’t network or meet new people
  5. Don’t ask your friends and family for information
  6. Complain about being unemployed
  7. Bad mouth your previous employer
  8. Don’t target companies, apply to anything anywhere
  9. Ask everyone you know for a job
  10. Be vague, general and “able to do anything”
  11. Don’t take time to assess your strengths and passion
  12. Don’t research salaries
  13. Don’t follow up on anything
  14. Wing the interview, who needs to prepare
  15. Don’t do anything differently
  16. Stay away from LinkedIn and social media
  17. Keep your search geography very small, don’t apply for jobs outside this range
  18. Only consider the large, well-known employers
  19. Talk a lot and chew gum during the interview, and bring a friend along
  20. Assume the company will let you know the status of their opening
  21. Don’t try and negotiate the job offer
  22. Wait and wait and wait for the company to call you
  23. Show you are desperate for the job, maybe they’ll feel sorry for you
  24. Don’t invest time to learn new things about your occupation
  25. Don’t read newspapers, trade publications or industry newsletters

It is quite easy to fall into the “wrong” routine- one that is not producing the results you want.  If you find that you aren’t getting interviews or enough interviews, change something you are doing.

If you find you are getting interviews but not getting job offers (remember, you won’t be offered every job you interview for) evaluate what you are saying and how you are saying it by videotaping yourself or getting feedback.  Taking ownership and being pro-active in your job search rests in your capable hands!

If you want to break any of these bad habits, then give it time (it generally takes 30 days to break a habit!). Be persistent and you will notice different outcomes.

More Expert Advice

Career Collective

For more expert advice on what NOT to do in your 21st-century job search, read these expert posts from Career Collective!

Juice Up Your Job Search, @debrawheatman

It’s not your age, it’s old thinking, @GayleHoward

Want a Job? Ignore these outdated job search beliefs @erinkennedycprw

Job Search Then and Now, @MartinBuckland @EliteResumes

Break the Rules or Change the Game? @WalterAkana

The New: From The Employer’s-Eye View, @ResumeService

Job Search: Breakable Rules and Outdated Beliefs, @KatCareerGal

Job Hunting Rules to Break (Or Why and How to Crowd Your Shadow), @chandlee @StartWire,

Shades of Gray, @DawnBugni

3 Rules That Are Worth Your Push-Back, @WorkWithIllness

Your Photo on LinkedIn – Breaking a Cardinal Job Search Rule? @KCCareerCoach

How to find a job: stop competing and start excelling, @Keppie_Careers

Be You-Nique: Resume Writing Rules to Break, @ValueIntoWords

Modernizing Your Job Search, @LaurieBerenson

Don’t Get Caught With an Old School Resume, @barbarasafani

How Breaking the Rules Will Help You in Your Job Search, @expatcoachmegan

Beat the Job-Search-Is-a-Numbers-Game Myth, @JobHuntOrg

JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
Join over 4,000 members who receive cutting edge advice and learn how to job search better with fast, fresh, fun updates!
We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.
Hannah Morgan CareerSherpa.net
Hannah Morgan
Hannah Morgan is a nationally recognized author and speaker on job search strategies.  She founded CareerSherpa.net to combine her career expertise with her love of writing, speaking and social media. Her mission is to educate professionals on how to maneuver through today’s job search process.  Hannah is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Forbes, USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, Aol Jobs, LifeHacker, The Muse, Business Insider, SmartBrief, Payscale as well as many other publications. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success.

Related posts:

  1. Why Did You Take a Break From Your Job Search?
  2. Summary Sunday: Invest Time In The Right Job Search Habits
  3. Communication Break Down
  4. Top 10 Most Popular Posts from 2014
  5. New Habits for the New Year

Primary Sidebar

10 Reasons You Need A Visual Resume

  1. The Death of the Paper Resume
  2. The Morphing of Job Boards and Resume Databases
  3. The Dreaded Black Hole of Applicant Tracking Systems
  4. The Rise of Referrals
  5. Employer-Candidate Mismatch
  6. Communication Mismatch
  7. The Gig Economy
  8. The Web Becomes a Tool for the Masses
  9. Trend Setters as Trailblazers (CEOs, Entrepreneurs, Freelancers)
  10. The Rise of LinkedIn

Embarking on a job search is like preparing to climb a mountain.

Maybe not Mt. Everest, where sherpas are found, but you will still need a guide to show you the best paths and methods for making the trek. The terrain can be tricky and unfamiliar so you will want someone to show you the way.

Sign Up Here for advice on job searches, careers, social networking, personal branding and developing and improving your online presence.

Categories

Articles You Might Like

  • The Easiest Way to Research and Find Alumni on LinkedIn
  • What's the Best LinkedIn Headline For An MBA Candidate?
  • LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search & Careers
  • 31 Tips for Your 2019 Job Search (from the pros)
  • Fix Your LinkedIn Headline Today

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

NEVER MISS A POST!

I dish out all kinds of advice on job search, social media trends, personal branding, developing and improving your online presence- you name it. You will find everything you need for a successful job search!

SIGN UP HERE!

© Copyright 2019 · Career Sherpa · All Rights Reserved.

  • Contact
  • Sitemap
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkRead more