The Biggest Mistakes Recent Graduates Make In Seeking Employment

January 2011

1. Focusing on advertised positions.

At least 80% of the employment opportunities are never advertised. You must learn how to do basic research and sniff these out.

2. Too much emphasis on jobs.

If the only option you give an employer is to offer you a job, you're making it hard for them to hire you. This is especially true for small businesses, where most of the action is. Being willing to accept part-time, temporary or contract work without reservations is essential.

3. Ignorance about marketing.

We're a society that knows how to apply for a job. The challenge for employment seekers today is to become proficient at finding work. Anyone lacking this skill will be unemployed for a long time.

4. Too much focus on CV's/resumes.

Employment seekers must learn how to create a variety of tools that are marketing oriented and focused on the needs of the employer.

5. Living in the past.

We keep waiting for the Great Recession to be over and lots of jobs to come back. It's not going to happen. For a growing number of workers the era of the traditional job and all the stability that came with it is over. In trend-setting California, only about 30% of the workforce have traditional jobs. That's where we're all headed. Accept it, adjust to it and move on.

Finally, a common mistake that students continue to make is to leave the issue of finding work until the end of your final year, or worse, after graduation. You must address this at the beginning of your final year with an objective of either finding work, or having some employment prospects before you graduate. Check my book, "How to Find Work in the 21st Century" for an action plan for finding work before graduation.

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