I am a huge believer in not being afraid of making mistakes...probably because I make so many myself! I've tried to teach my sons the learning opportunities that occur when you mess up. I even did a very successful speech in Toastmasters years ago about failure and what you can gain from it as a life experience. All this being said, there are times that mistakes are NOT welcome...in a job interview for instance.
"25 Reasons Why I Won't Hire You" by Zenja Glass is a profile of the 25 most common mistakes job seekers do to shoot themselves in the foot while job hunting. It's written in three sections. Before the interview; during the interview and after the interview. Each chapter covers one of the 25 mistakes.
Some mistakes are common sense such as, "You arrived too late for the interview!" (#18) or "You lied to me!" (#13). Others like "You talk too much!" (#9) or "You work with too many recruiters!" may be a surprise to job seekers. Of course I love #16..."You didn't sell yourself!"
I can make a case that #16 is a result of commiting any of the other 24 mistakes. Landing a new job is no different from selling a product or service...YOU are the product or service! If you are having difficulty finding a new job you might want to give this book a look. Even just reviewing the chapter titles should give you a quick lesson in job hunting sabotage.
Happy Selling!
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