5 job search mistakes (stop doing these!)

OK Reader,

If we're going to stop making the most common job search mistakes, we need to really look at how most people do it.

It's not a pretty picture.

Welcome to a career in the life of an Average Applicant!

Over the years, I’ve spoken to thousands of Average Applicants to learn what they did. I’ve identified 5 common mistakes they make.

Let’s take a closer look. Follow along with me on the Average Applicant’s actual job search and see if you can spot the mistakes along the way — and how many you've made in your career.

The 5 most common job search mistakes

Put yourself in the shoes of this Average Applicant. Let’s imagine they work in marketing. They like it. The work itself is fine, but it’s not challenging. They feel stuck. And worse, their boss doesn’t take them seriously. So now they want a change. OK, fine. 

Can you guess the first place the Average Applicant would typically go if they wanted to find job openings?

Yup, you guessed it. A job search site like Monster or Indeed — and think, “Well, let’s just see what’s out there” — with no real plan. THIS IS MISTAKE #1: Going to a job board with no plan.

OK, let’s keep going. So Average Applicant is on this job board and proceeds to use the search function to type in their...wait, what are they doing?

Are they typing in the exact SAME job position that they want to change from? Why? Do they want the same job? 

THIS IS MISTAKE #2: Sticking to what they know (and sometimes hate).

Most people have a serious case of tunnel vision when looking for a job.

• What if I told them that there are 10X more job titles that are relevant to them? 

• What if they realized they didn't have to work at a job they hate?

• What if they knew they needed to branch out to find their Dream Job?

But instead, they stick with the familiar...and that brings us to MISTAKE #3: Taking whatever they can get.

Here's the paradox behind online job boards.

The Average Applicant now has endless options via Indeed or Monster. One of these should be gold...right? It’s possible, but what does the Average Applicant typically do? They scroll through these 8 million options without any way to determine what’s a good or bad fit. 

If there was a Dream Job hidden somewhere on an online job board, how would you know? Average Applicants don't have clearly defined values or traits that they’re looking for in a company or employer. They’re just accepting what’s in front of them. 

OK, let’s pause. 

Do you notice what’s happening? 

Here’s what I see: 

From the very beginning of the process,
Average Applicants already delegated their job search
to a computer algorithm. 

This algorithm will determine where they will spend 8 hours, 5 times per week, for the next 2, 5, 10, or even 20 years. 

Let that sink in for a moment. 

You spend enough time at a job. You should love it! 

Don't let a computer decide your job. Would you ever let a computer tell you where to live? NO! So why would finding your Dream Job be any different? 

Of course, at this point, most people never realize any of these mistakes. They’re so subtle — and everyone else does them! — that we don’t even notice. But there are a few more. Let’s take a look.

The Average Applicant has already identified a few jobs that look good. So they dust off the ol’ resume. 

Begin the endless resume tweaking.

• Should the word be “utilize” or “use”? 
• What about font size? Is it better to use size 10 or 11? 
• Should I stick with Arial or try a fancier-looking font? 

Average Applicants spend hours on their resume, essentially on the things that don’t matter...THIS IS MISTAKE #4: Overemphasizing the things that don’t matter.

In my I Will Teach You To Be Rich book, I talk about focusing on the Big Wins, like automating your finances and negotiating a $5,000 raise.

Everything else, like interest rates and cutting back on $3 lattes, is just distracting noise and minutiae. Same thing here. 

Focusing on resumes is the equivalent of trying to save $10,000 by only cutting back on $3 lattes. 

With the right approach, your resume and cover letter simply become a formality — the cherry on top. More on that later. 

Back to the Average Applicant.

Here’s where they submit the same resume and cover letter to every company and job opening they thought was a good fit. No strategy. No rhyme or reason other than to “hope it would work out.” It’s just a numbers game right? The spam approach to career advancement.

This is the final pitfall that leaves the Average Applicant feeling defeated. Because what usually happens after spitting out a bunch of generic resumes?

Well, for most people: NOTHING. So they blame the economy. Or themselves. Or they give up and try to convince themselves that “There’s no such thing as a Dream Job.”

I call this slow descent into frustration the Spiral of Doom. 

I’ve seen so many promising job candidates start out with optimism and hope. But dozens of resumes and cover letters later...not a word or response from an actual human. The deafening silence can make even the most qualified candidates doubt themselves. And on and on the cycle goes. 

Chances are, you’ve experienced something like the Spiral of Doom:

The worst part of all? The Average Applicant doesn’t even give themselves a real chance to find their Dream Job. They may be a great candidate on paper, but made the mistake of outsourcing their job search to an algorithm. 

Do you notice the even bigger mistake here?

The Average Applicant never learned the SKILL of finding a Dream Job. They just did what everyone else did — and they got the exact same results: zero.

The truth: Finding a job is hard. Finding a great job is really hard. 

IT IS frustrating to scroll through online job boards...staring at hundreds of job listings that don't excite you.

IT IS frustrating to send your resume out over and over...then not even hear back.

IT IS frustrating to pump yourself up for an interview at a company you're not that excited about...and not even get a second interview.

Why is this so hard?

Personally, I think the most frustrating part is that nobody really teaches us a different way. After all, a lot of Average Applicants are smart. They're capable. They're willing to put in the work. 

So why don't hiring managers see this?

Unfortunately, we’ve been conditioned to follow generic advice that appeals to average people. It gets us average results — and if you look around, do you want to be average?

NO! I don't want to be average. If you're reading this, I bet you don't either.

We'd rather be such an irresistible candidate that we have companies engaged in BIDDING wars for a chance to hire us. That hiring managers are EAGER to pay us what we’re worth.

This is happening to people who are just as smart, with similar experience, skills, and background — they're just avoiding these common mistakes and following a better system. This is Top Talent.

We have a saying at I Will Teach You To Be Rich: “We want to work with the best.” And I can tell you from having helped so many students and talking to so many other hiring managers: it’s not just us. 

The best companies are looking for Top Talent all the time! But here’s the thing: we don’t only look on job boards. We’re always quietly scouring the “shadow market” and staying in touch with passive candidates, so when they’re ready to make a move, they know we’re hiring. This is part of what you’ll learn in Dream Job.

The truth is, the best jobs are found by connecting with people individually and naturally. It’s about real relationships and people. Not this robotic stuff through job boards. A lot of people try to create an EFFICIENT job search — but guess what? I don’t want efficiency. I want the right job — my Dream Job. The one that fits me like a glove.

This is TOTALLY different than what people think about the job search process. A TOTALLY different game played by Top Talent versus the Average Applicant.

To show you how to find your Dream Job, I'm hosting a free workshop on Monday, January 25. 

Not just any job. Your Dream Job. One that pays you more, lets you work when you want, where you want, and makes you excited to go to work again.

• Even if...you don’t know what your Dream Job is yet (or if it even exists)

• Even if...you don’t want to spend 60 hours/week at work

• Even if...you don’t have the “right” experience on paper

• And especially if...you don’t feel respected at work...your boss doesn’t listen when you talk...you feel worried about the future, and worst of all, you feel STUCK and HELPLESS to do something about it

If you want to feel fulfilled, secure, inspired, and most of all, valued at work, you should attend.

I'll walk through the exact system Top Talent uses to find and land the best jobs...often before they're even made public.

You can email me questions at ramit.sethi@iwillteachyoutoberich.com (subject: Workshop Question). I'll answer the best ones live, and I'll do some live Q&A.

This is a one-time-only event and there won't be a recording.

P.S. Here are the details again for the upcoming live workshop:

EVENT: "How to find your Dream Job" workshop

DATE: Monday, January 25. One night only.

TIME: 8pm Eastern / 5pm Pacific (see your time zone)

COST: Free, but do need to register

Here's the link to sign up.

See you then!