There is an old saying that goes “paralysis by analysis.” In other words, sometimes you just need to “do” something rather than continue to research, think, and debate about it. We have over analysis all around us in our lives. From the endless statistics in the sports world, a million political polls, to business data, we are constantly bombarded with information that supposedly is going to help us.
Unfortunately, all of this information will cause us to think (and think…and think) to the point where we don’t do anything, or we are too late to complete what we wanted. This can be especially detrimental to someone conducting a job search. While analysis and contemplation can certainly be beneficial, there is definitely a time element to finding a new job. Quick and nimble actions will generally be more useful than long drawn-out efforts.
• When In Doubt…Apply: Don’t spend a lot of time considering whether to apply for a position. If it looks good to you and you meet some of the requirements of the position, send in a resume. You can always find out more about the company and whether it is a good fit for you later in the process. Rarely does anyone meet all the job requirements of a position, so if you are close enough, then apply. Reading the posting over and over again will not get you any closer to being fully qualified. Remember, all you need to be is better than your opponents.
• Have Everything Ready: While some degree of customization can be useful in catching the eye of the reader, your core cover letter and resume should be written and ready to go. You should then do a quick review to determine if any custom tweaking is necessary. While you want your documents to be grammatically correct and free of errors, it is critical that it gets out of your virtual grasp and into the hands of the recruiter. So, get it sent as quickly as possible!
• Place Yourself On a Schedule: Create a work schedule for your job search and work based on meeting self-imposed deadlines. This will result in you acting based on the information you can gather and still meet your time requirements. Setting firm allotments of time will prevent you from procrastinating.
• Focus On Actions: Give yourself a list of activities to complete during each job search session. This to-do list will force you to focus on completing the specific tasks you have determined to be most important for that session.
• Let Others Do Some Of the Work: The utilization of your professional and personal network can move some of the work and thought to others. For example, utilize others to help you uncover open job lead referrals.
• Avoid Reading All the Government Job Reports: Sometimes it is good to be a bit on the ignorant (not knowing) side. If you read the government job reports, it will likely depress you, leading you to think no one is hiring and there are too many candidates for you to ever land a job. Worry about yourself and not the macroeconomics of the national job market. The are always job opportunities available, and your focus should be on landing one of them.
• Work Through Any Job Search Anxiety: It can be difficult to put yourself out there to look for a new job. This is especially true if you have lost your employment and now find yourself on the market. Self-doubt creates indecision and overthinking, so you want to make sure you stay confident and focused. Rely on your personal network of friends and family to keep your spirits high during this process.
• Prepare For Frequently Asked Interview Questions: A great way to make sure that you are always ready for a job interview is to pre-plan for the most frequently asked questions you will receive. This preparation will ensure that you are always ready to accept an interview invitation.
• Plan For Rejection: Everyone, at some point, will want a position but not obtain it. You should expect this to happen and not let it affect your ability to move forward. If you receive feedback, that is a wonderful gift so try to learn from what you are being told. Also, perform some level of self-introspection regarding what you can improve, but do not obsess thinking about what you did wrong. You need to keep your job search moving.
The time between a job requisition is posted and an offer is made can only be days if a suitable candidate is found. Companies try now to avoid any procrastination by streamlining their process and make quick hiring decisions. You, therefore, need to work at a suitable pace at all times to match or beat what is occurring by the prospective employer. Any delays can cause you to lose ground to your competition, so don’t overthink your job search efforts.
As always, best of luck in your job search.
The following has been prepared for the general information of RochesterJobs readers. It is not meant to provide advice with respect to any specific legal or policy matter and should not be acted upon without verification by the reader.
Joe Stein
WNY Human Resources Professional
Feel free to contact Joe Stein regarding questions or comments at:
Joe Stein
