25 Ways to Sabotage Your Job Search

From MSN and CareerBuilder

By Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder.com writer

You
know the friend who constantly dates the wrong kind of person? The one
who's endlessly frustrated that he or she is going to die alone because
all the good ones are taken?

After enough venting sessions, you
realize something your friend doesn't: He or she is the common thread
tying together all of these -- let's just say it together -- losers.
Someone needs to speak up and say, "You're doing this to yourself."

You'll
find this same pattern can be true in a job hunt. Granted, we're in
tough times and plenty of reasons out of your control can keep you from
getting hired. But that's just one more reason to do everything within
your power to be the best job seeker you can.

With that in mind, look over these 25 ways you might be unknowingly sabotaging your job search:

1. Assuming you'll never need to look for another job
You
love your current job and that's great. If you're happy there and see a
promising future, I hope you never have to leave. Nevertheless, you
should always be prepared for the day you have to move on. Even if the
boss loves you, things can change. Buyouts, economic disasters or
changes in leadership can affect your employment. Continue to update
your résumé while you're employed so that you have an accurate record
of your accomplishments.

2. Burning bridges
We love the
scenes in movies where the disgruntled employee finally tells off the
boss and storms out of the office, only to live a happy, fulfilling
life. In real life, these idols are probably unemployed because they
don't have good references, and no employer wants to hire someone with
a tarnished reputation.

3. Keeping mum on your job search
Most
people aren't keen on being unemployed, and if you were laid off it's
understandable that you don't want to spend all your time talking about
it. But you need to network; it's one of the most effective ways to
find a job. A friend of a friend of a friend often gets you the
interview that lands you the job -- but that won't happen if no one
knows you're looking for new career opportunities.

4. Looking for "The One"
Although
you want to conduct a focused job search, you need to keep an open
mind. With any luck, you'll land the perfect gig, but sometimes you
have to take a job that possesses most of the qualities you want -- not
all of them. If the pay is right, the requirements are in line with
your experience and the opportunities for promotion are good, then you
might have to overlook the fact that you have to wake up 30 minutes
earlier than you'd like.

5. Not searching at all
This
mistake probably seems obvious, but as anyone who's been on a lengthy
job hunt can tell you, discouragement is easy to come by. A few weeks
or months without a job and enough news segments on layoffs are enough
to convince you that no one is hiring. Without question the market's
competitive, but if you're not actively looking for work, don't expect
it to fall in your lap.

6. No cover letter
Including a
cover letter is an easy way to play it safe during a job hunt. Although
not every employer wants one, surveys continually find employers who
automatically remove job seekers from consideration if they don't
include a cover letter. Why would you give any employer a reason not to
hire you?

7. A generic cover letter
The only thing
worse than no cover letter is one that could be sent to any anonymous
employer. Starting with "To Whom It May Concern" and filling the page
with phrases like "hard working" will signal the reader that you're
blindly sending out applications to every job opening you see. Hiring
managers are looking for someone who fits their needs, and their needs
are different than another employer's. Don't treat them the same.

8. Typos
If
you received a wedding invitation full of misspelled words and poor
punctuation, you'd probably wonder why these two people didn't take the
time to proofread the page. After all, it's an important event and a
lot of people will be reading it. Employers will wonder the same thing
about a résumé or cover letter filled with errors.

9. All "I" and not enough "you"
Your
cover letter and résumé are definitely about you, but they're not for
you. Employers are interested in you only in the context of what you
can do for them. Whenever you reveal information about yourself, use it
as proof that you offer something to the company that no one else can.

10. Giving bad contact information
When
hiring managers like what they see on your résumé and cover letter,
they're going to look for your contact information. If they see that
your e-mail address is BeerFreak80@email.com
or that your current work number is the best way to contact you,
they're going to think twice before reaching out. The only thing worse
is forgetting to include your contact information at all.

11. Running late
Every
boss wants an employee who is dependable and a good representative of
the company. Someone who's tardy to an interview is neither.

12. Dressing for the wrong job
Appearances
matter in an interview, and you should dress for what's appropriate in
your field. Find out what the dress code is before you show up so you
fit in with the company culture. Wearing a suit when you're told jeans
are the norm can make you seem stuffy; wearing shorts and sandals when
everyone else is wearing suits makes you look oblivious. You're better
off erring on the side of too professional than too casual.

13. Griping about past employers
Keep
in mind that you're not guaranteed to be with any company forever. When
you talk trash about your last company, your interviewer's thinking,
"What are you going to say about me once you leave?"

14. Not asking questions
One
quintessential interview question is, "Do you have any questions for
me?" Sitting there silently suggests you're not invested in the job.
When you go to a restaurant, you probably have a few questions for the
waiter. Shouldn't you be just as curious about a new job?

15. Not doing your research
Research
for a new job involves two important subjects: the position and the
company. Find out as much about the position as you can so you can
decide if you even want it and so you can position yourself as the best
fit for the job.

Knowing all you can about the company will help
you decide if you like its direction and share its ideals. Plus, when
it comes to the all-important "Do you have any questions for us?"
portion of the interview (see above), you have plenty of material to
cover.

16. Thinking the interview starts and ends in a meeting room
The
formal interview occurs when you shake hands with the interviewer and
ends when you leave the room. The full process begins when you're
called or e-mailed to come in for an interview and it continues every
time you converse with someone at the company. Were you rude to the
recruiter or the receptionist? You never know what gets reported to the
hiring manager.

17. Talking about money too soon
As
eager as you are to land the job and cash your first paycheck, let the
employer mention salary first. Broaching the subject first implies
you're more eager about money than about doing a good job.

18. Acting cocky
You
never want to beg for a job, but you should act as if you care about
it. If your confidence level spills over into arrogance, you'll
guarantee no employer will want to work with you.

19. Being so honest you're rude
Not
every job will turn into a lifelong career, and you might have no
intention of staying at the company more than a year or two when you
interview. Still, hiring managers don't want to hear that you're taking
this job just to pass time until you find a real job that you care
about. You don't need to commit yourself to the company for a decade,
but don't make yourself sound like a flight risk, either.

20. Forgetting your manners
Common
courtesy can get you far, and in a job hunt you'd like to get as far as
possible. After an interview, send a thank-you note (via e-mail or
regular mail) to show your gratitude to the interviewer for taking the
time to meet with you. This will leave him or her with a good
impression of you.

21. Stalking the hiring manager
If
the interviewer gives you a deadline for hearing back from him or her,
go ahead and call to see if a decision has been made. Do not call,
e-mail and visit every day until you finally get a response -- which
will probably be, "You definitely did not get the job."

22. Not keeping track of your applications
Because
a job hunt can be lengthy, you should have a running list of where
you've applied and whether or not you've heard back. Although you don't
think you'll forget where you applied, after a dozen applications your
memory can get fuzzy. Sending multiple applications to the same
employer says, "I'm either disorganized or I'm just sending out bulk
applications."

23. Not learning from mistakes
You're
bound to make a mistake here and there during an interview. If a
question trips you up, think about what went wrong and prepare for it
the next time. Don't forget mistakes from your past, either. Look back
at jobs you hated and try to avoid landing one of those jobs again.

24. Assuming you got the job
Don't
ever assume you have the job until you actually hear the hiring manager
say, "You got the job." Several factors can complicate whether or not
you get hired, so don't halt your job search until you receive an
offer. Keep searching for work because the deal might fall through at
the last minute or you might find an even better job.

25. Forgetting the lessons you learned during a job search
When
your hard work pays off and you do land a job, don't forget all the
trials and trouble you went through to get it. Just because you have a
paycheck doesn't mean you've looked for your last job. Remember how
important it is to maintain a network, keep track of your achievements
and have good references. If you do find yourself looking for work
again, you'll have a much easier time.

Anthony Balderrama is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.