NEW YORK, N.Y. — With the highest unemployment in more than 20 years, over 35 million people are now circulating resumes. But many haven’t looked for jobs in some time and are falling victim to 10 common mistakes. According to Bob Gerberg Jr, the CEO of ITS, many talented and marketable people are simply doing the wrong things and could easily adjust their approach to get more interviews and offers. A new book, “The Professional Job Changing System” (ISBN 978-0-578-02842-2), introduces a complete system for job hunting that details just how to do this. It is available in major book stores and at www.worldwidecareerpartners.com.
Gerberg says the 10 major mistakes people make are:
(1) They don’t know how to find enough suitable openings.
(2) They use old-style resumes that no longer work in today’s market.
(3) They never send resume to their best employer prospects.
(4) They never get considered for unpublished jobs.
(5) They don’t gain access to leads to emerging jobs.
(6) They rely on old job hunting methods and don’t follow a plan.
(7) They never market their transferable skills and just sell where they’ve been.
(8) They don’t minimize the impact of their liabilities.
(9) They don’t go after the exciting new industry options that are out there.
(10) They come across as very average at interviewing.
ITS has also just made available a free 25 minute online video that educates job hunters on how to handle each of the 10 major mistakes, and which introduces people to some revolutionary breakthroughs in technology which ITS has pioneered. The video is called a tour of today’s job market and can be viewed at www.anewcareer.com/markettour. Here is some of what it reveals.
Not knowing how to find enough suitable openings:
Gerberg pointed out that the published job market is now broken into 5 key areas. 300,000 employers now list their openings on the Web sites, 2,000 newspaper carry help-wanted ads, 1,500 job boards such as Monster and Career Builder now list openings; 2,100 trade magazines now have help-wanted ads, and 3,500 recruiters list their openings on their Web site.
He added that new technology has come out which enables job hunters to review 97 percent of the openings in the above paragraph. All in one place. It’s available from the Job Market Access Center, which is on the Web at www.jobmarketaccess.com.
Using old style resumes that no longer work:
Gerberg said ITS is one of the largest professional resume writing services in the world, specializing in serving professionals and executives seeking $50,000 to over $500,000. Each year they professionally write more than 25,000 resumes. Gerberg advises job seekers to use these key rules to drafting an outstanding resume that will work.
* Your resume must be one page in length.
* The jobs you are going after must be listed first.
* The top third of your resume must be a 20 second summary.
* Any liabilities must be avoided.
* Your transferable skills must be listed.
* Your resume must have a first class image.
* Your resume must be scanning ready with relevant key words listed right under the job titles you would consider.
Gerberg said the difference in having an “A” resume, and not just a “B” resume is dramatic. The effectiveness can be listed not just one or two times, but can bring some people 20 times better results.
Not placing your resume with your best employer prospects:
Gerberg said one of the surprising things about job hunters is how few bother contacting their best prospects. He recommended drawing up a list of your top 100 possibilities, the companies you might really want to join. Then, send the right decision maker a letter via email with a link to your personal marketing Web site. If you don’t have a Web site, send a one-page letter outlining how you might be able to help the company.
If you don’t hear back, you should follow up by phone within one week. He said some ITS clients have written to as many as six different executives in a company. If they are persistent and have a good background, they usually get called for a telephone interview.
New job hunting approaches are called for:
The mission of ITS has been to use technology to pioneer new approaches to job hunting. To view the 25 minute video tour of today’s job market go to www.anewcareer.com/markettour. The company’s book, “The Professional Job Changing System,” authored by Bob Gerberg, is available in major book stores or direct from the firm at www.worldwidecareerpartners.com.
