5 job search mistakes you’re probably making

It’s frustrating to send out your resume over and over … and not even hear back. To view this email as a web page, [click here]() The 5 most common job search mistakes It’s frustrating to send out your resume over and over … and not even hear back. A lot of applicants are smart, capable, and willing to put in the work. Why don’t hiring managers see it? Over the years, I’ve spoken to thousands of Average Applicants to learn what they did. I’ve identified 5 common mistakes they make, and I want to share them with you so you can learn how to avoid them in the future. Let’s take a closer look. Follow along with me on the Average Applicant’s actual job search and see if you can spot the mistakes along the way — and how many you've made in your career. The 5 most common job search mistakes Put yourself in the shoes of this Average Applicant. Let’s imagine they work in marketing. They like it. The work itself is fine, but it’s not challenging. They feel stuck. And worse, their boss doesn’t take them seriously. So now they want a change. OK, fine. Can you guess the first place the Average Applicant would typically go if they wanted to find job openings? [Scrolling job openings] Yup, you guessed it. A job search site like Monster or Indeed — and think, “Well, let’s just see what’s out there” — with no real plan. THIS IS MISTAKE #1: Going to a job board with no plan. People go to a random website, post a resume, and wait. They’re passively delegating their career to an algorithm. It’s demoralizing, you’re competing with thousands of others, and worst of all, it’s ineffective. OK, let’s keep going. So Average Applicant is on this job board and proceeds to use the search function to type in their...wait, what are they doing? [Searching for jobs] Are they typing in the exact SAME job position that they want to change from? Why? Do they want the same job? THIS IS MISTAKE #2: Sticking to what they know (and sometimes hate). Take a Marketing Manager who dislikes his job. He finally decides to make a change, goes to a website, and types in… “Marketing Manager” THE VERY JOB HE DISLIKES! People do this because it’s what they know. Most people have a serious case of tunnel vision when looking for a job. - What if I told them that there are 10X more job titles that are relevant to them? - What if they realized they didn't have to work at a job they hate? - What if they knew they needed to branch out to find their dream job? But instead, they stick with the familiar...and that brings us to MISTAKE #3: Taking whatever they can get. Average Applicants believe “I should just be lucky to have a job.” They don’t negotiate, they don’t specify their career goals, and they don’t interview the companies (just as the companies interview them). Here's the paradox behind online job boards. The Average Applicant now has endless options via Indeed or Monster. One of these should be gold...right? It’s possible, but what does the Average Applicant typically do? They scroll through these 8 million options without any way to determine what’s a good or bad fit. If there was a Dream Job hidden somewhere on an online job board, how would you know? Average Applicants don't have clearly defined values or traits that they’re looking for in a company or employer. They’re just accepting what’s in front of them. OK, let’s pause. Do you notice what’s happening? Here’s what I see: From the very beginning of the process, Average Applicants already delegated their job search to a computer algorithm. This algorithm will determine where they will spend 8 hours, 5 times per week, for the next 2, 5, 10, or even 20 years. Let that sink in for a moment. You spend enough time at a job. You should love it! Don't let a computer decide your job. Would you ever let a computer tell you where to live? NO! So why would finding your Dream Job be any different? Of course, at this point, most people never realize any of these mistakes. They’re so subtle — and everyone else does them! — that we don’t even notice. But there are a few more. Let’s take a look. The Average Applicant has already identified a few jobs that look good. So they dust off the ol’ resume. So begins the endless resume tweaking: - Should the word be “utilize” or “use”? - What about font size? Is it better to use size 10 or 11? - Should I stick with Arial or try a fancier-looking font? Average Applicants spend hours on their resume, essentially on the things that don’t matter...THIS IS MISTAKE #4: Overemphasizing the things that don’t matter. When the interviewer asks, “Tell me about yourself,” they launch into a four-minute chronology of their birthplace and history. Nobody cares! In my [I Will Teach You To Be Rich book](), I talk about focusing on the Big Wins, like automating your finances and negotiating a $5,000 raise. Everything else, like interest rates and cutting back on $5 lattes, is just distracting noise and minutiae. Same thing here. Focusing on resumes is the equivalent of trying to save $10,000 by only cutting back on lattes. With the right approach, your resume and cover letter simply become a formality — the cherry on top. More on that later. Back to the Average Applicant. Here’s where they submit the same resume and cover letter to every company and job opening they thought was a good fit. No strategy. No rhyme or reason other than to “hope it would work out.” It’s just a numbers game right? The spam approach to career advancement. Average Applicant job search MISTAKE #5: Shotgunning applications into a black hole. Average Applicants indiscriminately submit their resume through job boards, and then wait. If you ask about other approaches (e.g., using their network), they say, “I don’t have a network.” This is the final pitfall that leaves the Average Applicant feeling defeated. Because what usually happens after spitting out a bunch of generic resumes? Well, for most people: NOTHING. So they blame the economy. Or themselves. Or they give up and try to convince themselves that “There’s no such thing as a Dream Job.” I call this slow descent into frustration the Spiral of Doom: [Spiral of Doom] The worst part of all? The Average Applicant doesn’t even give themselves a real chance to find their Dream Job. They may be a great candidate on paper, but made the mistake of outsourcing their job search to an algorithm. Do you notice the even bigger mistake here? The Average Applicant never learned the SKILL of finding a Dream Job. They just did what everyone else did — and they got the exact same results: zero. The truth: Finding a job is hard. Finding a great job is really hard. IT IS frustrating to scroll through online job boards...staring at hundreds of job listings that don't excite you. IT IS frustrating to send your resume out over and over...then not even hear back. IT IS frustrating to pump yourself up for an interview at a company you're not that excited about...and not even get a second interview. Why is this so hard? Personally, I think the most frustrating part is that nobody really teaches us a different way. The truth is, the best jobs are found by connecting with people individually and naturally. It’s about real relationships and people. Not this robotic stuff through job boards. A lot of people try to create an EFFICIENT job search — but guess what? I don’t want efficiency. I want the right job — my Dream Job. The one that fits me like a glove. This is TOTALLY different from what people think about the job search process. A TOTALLY different game played by Top Talent versus the Average Applicant. Free workshop: “How to find your Dream Job” To show you how to find your Dream Job, I'm hosting a free workshop on Tuesday, July 5. Not just any job. Your Dream Job. One that pays you more, lets you work when you want, where you want, and makes you excited to go to work again. - Even if...you don’t know what your Dream Job is yet (or if it even exists) - Even if...you don’t want to spend 60 hours/week at work - Even if...you don’t have the “right” experience on paper - And especially if...you don’t feel respected at work...your boss doesn’t listen when you talk...you feel worried about the future, and worst of all, you feel STUCK and HELPLESS to do something about it If you want to feel fulfilled, secure, inspired, and most of all, valued at work, you should attend. [How to find your Dream Job]() [Click here to reserve your spot]() I'll walk through the exact system Top Talent uses to find and land the best jobs...often before they're even made public. [Signature] WHAT TO DO NEXT LISTEN: In this week’s episode of the I Will Teach You To Be Rich podcast, Eric and Elena are 25, make $160k per year, but live paycheck to paycheck. In fact, their expenses are more than their income and they’re two years away from being broke. How did this happen? Today’s episode is full of fascinating insights on money psychology. [Click here]() to listen. [SIGN UP]() SIGN UP: [Click here to register]() for next Tuesday’s “How to find your Dream Job” presentation. Here are the details: - EVENT: "How to find your Dream Job" workshop - DATE: Tuesday, July 5 - TIME: 8pm Eastern / 5pm Pacific ([see your time zone]()) - COST: Free, but you do need to register - REGISTER: [Click here to register](). [SIGN UP]() Featured Products [Learn how to be your own boss, do what you love, and earn more.]() [What if you woke up EXCITED to go to work? I show you how to achieve it, step by step.]() [Ready-to-use mental frameworks for increased happiness, confidence, & success.]() [No guilt, no excuses, no BS. Just a 6-week program that works. 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