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The Riley Guide: How to Job Search

The Biggest Mistakes Recent Graduates Make In Seeking Employment

Ron McGowan, author of
How to Find Work in the 21st Century

January 2011


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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.


Ron McGowan is the author of the international bestseller How to Find Work in the 21st Century, currently in use at over 200 colleges and universities worldwide. Purchase your own copy from Self-Counsel Press.

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The Riley Guide is Copyright 1998 - 2011, Margaret F. Dikel. Logo design was provided by Brand Advance LLC and is copyright 2010 Margaret F. Dikel. This article is copyright 2011, Ron McGowan. All requests for copying and distribution including electronic distribution must be directed to the appropriate copyright holder as noted on each page. Permission is granted for you to link to RileyGuide.com or its individual pages at any time, but the location address (URL) may not be hidden through the use of frames nor any other technology. Please read our disclaimers. The Riley Guide is located at www.rileyguide.com and hosted by Godaddy.com. How to Contact Us.