Albert Einstein once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.” If you have been using the same tactics to network, get interviews, and find a job AND you are still jobless…..it’s time to change your strategy.
Start with your “introductory tool”: your resume. While reviewing your resume, you need to remember that it is JUST a tool; it doesn’t sell you, it just tells you. Keep it brief. Stay away from “resume clichés”. Everything you write should have a purpose; after reading each sentence, consider what the interviewer will perceive from that sentence. Get it peer reviewed; have professional and creative individuals you are familiar with review it and give you feedback on, not only, how to improve it but if they think it “fits” you and what they perceive from reading it.
If you are getting first interviews, but no call backs, don’t be afraid to ask them why. Be assertive and call them and ask. It won’t hurt your standing with them because let’s face it…they didn’t want you. At least you can get feedback, improve, and change to be better prepared for the next company you interview with. The problem might not have been you but may have been your references; review who they are. How long has it been since you contacted them? How did you leave the company? You always have to consider outside perspectives; you can’t know what mood, attitude, etc. your references are going to be in when they get a call from your perspective employer, so use professional, reliable references.
The thing is that there are so many factors that have contributed to you being jobless right now. The faster you can identify them, and change, the better your chances for job success will be. Read, talk to people, join discussion groups, find out what you are doing wrong, and change. You can find a job. Just remember, if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten. Change and adapt.
Here is a start:
