3 Things You Do In Your Job Search That Make It Longer

3 Things You Do In Your Job Search That Make It Longer3 Things You Do In Your Job Search That Make It LongerIf your job search has dragged on longer than you would like, it may betime to re-examine and re-calibrate your approach. It may not feel like itright now, but there are many factors about this search that are 100% withinyour control. Lets point out some of the things that could be happening(unwittingly) that are actually working against you.Mistake 1 Keeping Your OptionsOpenIts understandable where this desire comes from it seems like a good idea to open yourself up to as many possibilities as possible. That way, you wont miss out on an opportunity.Except that you will.When you communicate on your resume and LinkedIn profile that youre open to many things, it works against you because you cause confusion. The employer is not looking to hire a jack-of-all-trades. The employer is hiring you to, quite literally, do exactly one job.The part of this thats 100% in your control is yo ur message. Your message shouldnt be 5-6 different things, then leave space for the reader to figure it out. The readers not going to figure it out. The reader cant figure it out. What the reader will do is look at your materials for those first 6 seconds, then take a hard pass to the next resume that clearly states what the person can come in and actually do.Mistake 2 Looking Only For JobOpeningsThe problem with the advertised job market is that by the time you see a job, even if it was posted that day, its virtually guaranteed that 1,000 other people have also seen it and already applied for it. This is true even if the web site indicates to you that youre an early applicant for the job on that site. You have no idea where else the ad was posted, or for how long.The other problem with the job boards is thats where 98% of your competition is. Its a mad dash to the bottom. Now, theres no reason to dispense with the job boards entirely. Quite the opposite. Youre just going to use th e job boards strategically.Consider the ads you see to be an indicator of something bigger. If a company is advertising, theyre growing. Thats not the only job theyre hiring for. Further, thats not the only company of its type thats growing. The whole industry is likely on the upswing.Leverage the ad as a way to begin a conversation with a real human being. Go ahead and apply for the job through the normal channels, just so you have your bases covered. But then, make sure to reach out to a person in that department or division, to not only discuss that role, but to also have a larger discussion about the department, division, or company itself. Thats how you ferret out those additional opportunities.Mistake 3 Doing The Wrong ResearchJust the ja research can make it seem like you should be educating yourself on the history of the organization. Nope. Who cares? Job search today is about whats happening today, not even what happened last year. All your research needs to be social, beca use social media is right now.One of the best research platforms is Twitter, because it is so in-the-moment. The key is to not only follow the company, but to also follow the relevant people. How do you know who the relevant people are? LinkedIn advance search will provide all the answers you need.A human being is going to make the decision to hire you, not an ATS machine, not any kind of bot. So its in your best interest to learn about that human being. Look at the persons Twitter feed. Everything is not going to be about work or the job, obviously, but get a glimpse into their real personality. See if they posted an article that you can read and find something that resonates with you. You dont have to be hokey and search for their hobbies. But you can be genuine and see what they may like in their off time that you also find interesting. Its an opening that paves the way to a conversation.If youve applied for so many jobs and youre tired of always being in the stage where youre wa iting to hear something back, stop waiting. You can make this process easier with The 5-Day Job Search. It takes you through the exact steps to increase real responses from real decision makers who are actually hiring today. Download your copy right now.