BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

How To Get A Stalled Job Search Unstuck

This article is more than 8 years old.

For years we have heard that the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over, hoping for a different result.

If your job search is stalled and you're getting no traction, don't blame the economy! There are steps you can take -- and you must! -- to get your job search moving.

If you aren't getting interviews, then one or two things is broken in your job search -- or more likely, both of them are broken.

If your resume is written in zombie language a la "Results-oriented professional with a bottom-line orientation," you have to change it. You won't make anybody's heart beat faster by sending out a resume that sounds exactly like  every other boring, corporate or institutional resume ever written.

That's the first thing to change. Put a human voice in your resume, like this:

I'm a manufacturing Finance person with a focus on reducing cost in the supply chain and making smart investments. I'm looking to join a manufacturing firm with a big vision for  the future.

Now you don't sound like every other banana in the bunch. You aren't stuck with this particular branding statement, of course -- you can change up your branding every time you send your resume to someone new!

That brings us to the second element that may be keeping you from getting interviews. If you are pitching applications and resumes into faceless Black Hole recruiting systems, there's your problem!

Those things are a pox. They suck the  life out of applicants and dramatically reduce the chances that you'll ever hear a word back.

Find out who your specific hiring manager is in each target employer, and reach that person directly with an attention-grabbing, relevant and thoughtful Pain  Letter, instead.

When you take the time to customize your Human-Voiced Resume and Pain  Letters for each employer, determine the name and title of your next boss and write to that person directly, watch your job-search results improve!

Maybe your job search is stuck, but your problem isn't getting interviews. Maybe you're getting plenty of interviews, but you aren't getting job offers. What's the solution to that problem?

You may be falling  into Sheepie Job Seeker behaviors on your job interviews. The remedy is to make each interview a hunting expedition.

Now you have a plan - and your plan is to spot and probe into the Business Pain every manager experiences (especially managers getting ready to hire someone new).

An interview is not a time to sit passively in your chair and answer questions. You have to ask questions, too. You have to learn as much as you can about what's keeping your hiring manager up at night!

You won't solve his or her problems in the job interview, of course. If you did, there'd be no reason to hire you! Your perceptive questions will convey your savvy, intelligence and understanding of business far better than your answers to interview questions ever could.

Another roadblock in your job search could be money. If you're struggling to convey your salary requirements in your job search, learn how to do that here! 

Do not blame the economy for a stuck job search now! You can take matters into your own hands and get your job search going in high gear. You are talented and lots of people could use your help. Why wait?