Job hunting is considered a very difficult and long process, but there are general guidelines as to what you should and shouldn’t do while hunting for a job.

Job hunting is similar to animal hunting… they both have the word hunting in them for one, and they both require a keen eye for opportunities. In animal hunting it is recommended that you not be in the animals face 24/7, showing yourself more than once (the moment you’re shooting) is a fool proof way to fail. Likewise, hunting for a job requires you to give the employer some room to breath! Although persistence is key, he does not want to see your number one his phone more than once (to organise an interview time), he does not want to read you resume more than once (if you made a spelling mistake you can cry in your corner and move on), and he does NOT want to see you in the morning sleeping by his office’s door, he only wants to see you come interview time and that’s it!

In addition, your creativity? Save it for when he hires you. A beautiful resume is clean cut and classy, your future employer really doesn’t care if you have hand drawn flowers in the corners. If you still don’t think this is true we can take it back to animal hunting to clarify. If you decided to decorate your rifle with pretty Christmas lights and flowers do you think you’ll be any more successful with your animal hunt? … … … well since you haven’t answered yet, I will tell you. No. You would more likely look like an idiot. Comedy hour for the birdies in their nests.

As for bribery, everyone likes money. I like money, my dad likes money, my brother likes money… you may think, great! So it runs in you family. But think again, my friends like money and they’re friends do to! So chances are, you employer really likes money. This may, then, seem like a breakthrough, an infallible way to find and get that job. But to be honest with you, your employer will likely not be pleased in your offer, however much it is. Just as birds, deer and birds wouldn’t care much if you tried to bribe them into coming closer.

Wishing you all the success in your job hunt, and remember, if you find the perfect job and get it, you will likely also qualify to be a professional animal hunter.

We now attempt to de-mystify the myths about job hunting:

1. WRONG: If you send out enough resumes indiscriminately, you’re sure to get back at least one job offer. Now we’re in the era of unlimited internet sites, including many that promise (for a fee) to pass your resume on to the right company. The number of resumes you send out by email, snail mail or jackass mail are meaningless. You don’t really think prospective employers have the time to wade through hundreds or thousands of resumes?

The best start for your job hunt with your resume is the old-fashioned way. First, through school counseling, friends, networks, ads in the newspaper and research on prospective companies, find out where there are specific jobs and how your education and experience fit for potential employment. Get your resume out to those companies.

2. WRONG: You resume speaks for you. No, you speak for you. Your resume may get you an interview, but it won’t get you that job. Your ability to sell your education, job experience, skills and, maybe most important, your attitude and speaking ability.

3. WRONG: If you see there are many other applicants for the job, and you may be the tenth one interviewed that day, just pack up and go home without trying. This could be true if you’re auditioning for a theater or movie role, but not in most other jobs. No matter how discouraged you become about hunting for a job, don’t ever give up. And when you get your interview, attack it with the enthusiasm and positive attitude you’d have if your were the one and only applicant.

3. RIGHT: Dress up for your interview. Whether for a job as a garbage collector or stockbroker, come to the interview in proper business clothing. Be sure your clothing, hair and other parts of your body don’t identify you as a rebelious rock groupie. If so, you run the risk of creating an image of yourself in the prospective boss’ mind as a troublemaker who would cause problems on the job.

4. RIGHT: Use all resources available to you when applying for a job. If you have friends or relatives in the prospective company, have them contact the interviewer. Get references from school, previous job and others who will write good things about you. If you’ve belonged to community, professional or charitable organizations, list them on your resume. If you’ve served honorably in the Armed Forces or Reserves, bring proof with you. Bring all samples of previous work that could relate to the prospective job. If in doubt, pack it all with you to the interview.

5. WRONG: You should make your job interview less stressful by conversing with the interviewer, including relating stories of other interviews and joking. No matter how talented you are with small talk, that is a NO NO. Keep the interview totally businesslike, and when you sense the interview is over, don’t linger. Say a polite thank you and depart pronto.

If you’re intelligent and well prepared, you’ll certainly realize that there are no myths in job hunting. It doesn’t have to be frightening or intimidating, but you must face it as stark and total reality.

The process of looking for a new job can be one of the most important activities we undertake in our lives, so it is essential to identify some of the myths that exist around job hunting. By identifying the untruths that surround this area it will help make the process more rewarding and result in a more productive search, and ultimately the perfect career.

Below are my top five myths that haunt the process of hunting for a new job:

1. The internet means you no longer have to work to find work.

While the existence of the internet opens up access to new and exciting careers and methods of finding new jobs, it is not a magic world where by simply putting your details on a job search website employers will be constantly knocking on your door. The internet expands our job searching possibilities, but it doesn’t remove the hard work that is needed to find the perfect job.

The internet should be seen as a part of the job hunting process, but should not be used alone as a job hunting tool.

2. If it isn’t advertised, it doesn’t exist.

It is estimated that only 15-20% of jobs are ever advertised, and that only 5% of job hunters get their job through an advert . Networking represents the best tool for acquiring and searching out new jobs. By talking to friends and relatives, joining societies and clubs or applying for internships, you increase your chances of finding your ideal career enormously.

3. Style over substance.

Job seekers often feel that as long as their resume is jazzy and eye-catching they are more likely to get an interview. In reality however, it is getting the basics right that counts:

Always include a covering letter. This will tell the employer more about you and what you are looking for, and distinguish you from the rest.

If sending your resume by email paste it into the body of the email so that employers don’t have to open an attachment (unless asked to do otherwise). Often attachments are not opened because of fear of a virus, or lack of time.

Keep a nicely formatted copy with you when you go to the interview that you can hand over to them at the start or end.

4. Frequent changes in your career history is a bad thing.

In today’s job market the idea of a career that you stay in for your entire life is something very much of the past. Instead today employers are prepared for employees who have had a number of different jobs and careers, and who may have moved around employers quite a bit too. As long as you don’t have a lot of very short jobs (under a year) then there should be no need to worry about a bit of job hopping!

5. The most qualified person always gets the job.

This is probably the most common misconception about job hunting and interviews. Very rarely is a person hired on qualifications, but rather a mix of qualifications, experience, how they came across in the interview and rapport with the interviewees. If you are deficient in one area you can always attempt to make up for it by improving other areas to make yourself a more appealing proposition. Make sure you are proving to the interview panel why you are the best person for the job.

By distinguishing the myths from the truths we can make sure we are maximising our opportunities for the ideal post, and getting one step ahead of those still applying false rules.

Not everyone is lucky enough to enjoy their job. After all, it is a necessity not a leisure pursuit. Hating your job is much worse than not liking it though. It is a totally different situation and one that needs to be addressed.

When you hate your job, you will absolutely dread going in. It is not just Monday morning blues, it can be an everyday fear. You may wake up in a panic in the middle of the night. You may not be able to get to sleep in the first place. You may feel sick, have palpitations. You may be off your food. You may comfort eat. Your body will react in different ways. Either way, it will effect you physically as you are going through a lot of stress.

If you really hate your job you will be unable to perform well. You will not be doing yourself justice and your productivity will be reduced. Every thing will be magnified. Each problem will seem impossible. You will be far from your best. It may get to the point where it effects your health in a bad way, which may result in you having time off sick. No job is worth making yourself ill.

You will then be in the tricky situation of what to do next. You know that it is not doing you any good, but how do you get out? You cannot risk losing your job. You cannot risk being without a job for a long period. Being in a job that you hate will lower your morale.
This will place you in a less likely position of being able to find another job. At interview you will not appear as confident or able to sell yourself.

Is it possible to move departments at work? Could you move into something less demanding? Is there something slightly different that may interest you more? It is always worth talking to an understanding boss. If your boss isn`t understanding, it may still be worth trying to talk to them. They may not realise that there is a problem and being made aware of it may change things.

You may decide that you will need a career change. This is often a positive step as long as you think it through. Plan and map out your future career. It may involve returning to college. As long as you prepare and consider your finances, this could be a change for the better. Make sure that partners and family are involved with any decisions.

If you really are ill through your job, try to take some leave. A break may make you refreshed and more able to think clearly. You may still decide that the job isn`t right for you but will be in a better frame of mind to make a decision.

If you really hate your job, there are options. Try to talk to someone. Bottling it all up can make it seem much worse than it is. Don`t let it become a downward spiral of depression. Change your job. Either change the department, the employer or have a complete career change. Try to avoid leaving and having nowhere else to go if at all possible.

If you remain level headed you should hopefully be able to find a solution without leaving on the spur of the moment. You may hate your job but you still need another. Your potential future employer needs to know that you are reliable and can cope with stress, so think before you act.

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As an old retiree, I can remember many occasions when I hated my job. Now, looking back on decades of work, I can put it in perspective. In most cases, it wasn’t that I hated the job itself. It often was a temporary problem that needed to be solved to make the job and workplace more compatible. So, as a generality, I can recommend that if you hate your job, look into the cause, root it out and make your workday, if not enjoyable, at lease more bearable. How about an example.

About 30 years or so ago, I was manager of a creative division when the big room-sized, main-frame computers evolved into desktop monitors, and then into independent desktop computers. Macintosh reps came in and sold our company a bunch of what were then called Mac Plus computers, including eight in my division for our copy and PR writers. We also were given lazer printers and some updated graphic equipment for typesetting and processing photos and art work.

All of our writers, average age 25, took to the Mac Pluses immediately and began working miracles of creativity, while the art department, even younger, used the graphic equipment for super-fast in-house typesetting and finished, camera-ready work. I was pleased and happy as our productivity skyrocketed and our outside graphic reproduction expenses plunged. However, privately I was confused and jealous about all the young people showing talent I could barely understand. Was the high-and-mighty boss losing control?

I was already 50, and my background in ad agencies and daily newspapers had never involved any kind of computer experience. The closest I had ever been was with an electric typewriter, or watching newspaper typesetters work their big Linotype machines. I began to hate going into the office every day, knowing I, the boss, would be shown up to be an incompetent old fossil by my staff members. And, as young, independent-minded writers and artists often do, I’m sure there were giggles and snickers behind my back as I struggled to keep up with all the new developments.

Some of the staffers offered to give me some training on a Mac Plus. Instead of being grateful, I was embarrassed to accept the help, knowing it would provide more reasons for the ridicule. Then, after ordering a Mac for my office, little by little, I overcame my reluctance and fear of failing and began to use it. With considerable help from a visiting Mac rep, I eventually began to master the computer. I wasn’t anywhere near as facile as the writers and artists, but at least I could keep up with them and monitor their productivity with some sort of intelligence.

The final act in my drama was a happy one. As the primary writer/organizer of the annual company business conference, which involved writing 150-page scripts that would rival a Hollywood movie, I found the Mac Plus to be an invaluable tool. The first year I used it, my workload on the script was cut by more than half, and with the help of the Mac’s technical short-cuts, the snazzy finished products were admired by all, both the top executives who used them, as well as all my now respectful art and editorial associates. From a clumsy goat, I was transformed into a conquering lion. Well, at least an efficiently, purring pussycat.

This is just one example of many problems I, and most people, I’m sure, must determine to overcome in their jobs. Even when the frustrations become as serious as hating to face each work day, you must make the decision to examine the reasons for your feelings, and then get to work to find ways to correct the situation.

Sometimes the best thing to do is just hang in there and ride out the rough times!

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Even through you ‘only’ spend almost a third of your day at work – when you hate your job, your whole life suffers. Sometimes, you have little or no choice but to stay and suffer. Sometimes, the only way to survive is to get out.

Take heart, you are NOT ALONE, there are always OPTIONS and alternatives and you CAN find job where you can be content, if not happy.

CONSIDER YOUR OPTIONS

When you’re making your decision to stay or go, make sure you take everything into consideration. Is your health being effected by your current job, will you lose important benefits, will you have to move away from family and friends, will you have to return to school or take a hefty pay cut. Don’t just say “I’m miserable – I’m outta here.”, think things through first. Talk to your friends and family, they may have clearer, less emotional perspective on the situation.

Make sure you don’t jump from the fat into the fire – you may be unhappy where you are, but then again, it may be worse elsewhere. If you need to leave, take your time finding a new position, do your research and stick with your current job until you find something you’ll really enjoy doing, for someone you’ll really enjoy working for.

Just having the option of leaving may make you a little less unhappy with your situation, so even if moving to a new job looks impossible, an unexpected opportunity may present itself – keep yourself open to new possibilities.

LEARNING TO LIVE WITH IT

If staying is your only real option, or you’re going tough it out until you find an opportunity to escape, try to find ways to make life bearable. Take a deep breath and step back from the situation (easier said than done, I know), and consider how you make your working life more tolerable.

- Stay Professional

Even though you hate it, you still have a job to do. To maintain your dignity and to ensure a decent reference when you quit, do your best and meet your obligations. Regardless of how your coworkers and/or management conduct themselves, rise above and remain professional – keeping your self-respect may seem a small comfort, but it’s something.

- Develop Outside Interests

Find something to take your mind off your problems at work. Even if it’s as simple (and inexpensive) as going to the library and checking out DVDs to watch in the evening, it will give you something to look forward to and give you something OTHER than your job to discuss with coworkers, friends and family.

Best of luck!

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