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Job Search Resolutions for Spring

It’s already a new year and, for those who are unemployed, it may be a time for new job-hunting strategies. I’ve consulted with South Florida’s job market experts to avoid the mistakes of yester-year and get off to a running start in 2010.

Get back to basics

If you haven’t been getting interviews, it may be time to again review your resume, cover letters and approach. Seek help from a job-search or career transition expert.

“There are jobs out there. You have to make you’re sure presenting yourself in best possible way. Tweak your resume, writing it for the job you want, not the jobs you’ve done,” says Mason Jackson, chief executive of Workforce One.

“A common problem is they send resumes electronically and the program may scramble the resume when viewed at the other end. You have to send to somebody you know and see if it arrives,” he says.

Job applicants also often fail to follow the rules. “If the employer says ‘I don’t want to be contacted, please apply online,’ then apply online. Don’t send them your resume,” Jackson says.

Adjust your attitude

Job seekers often are stuck in the old paradigm that “I’m embarrassed to be out of work,” says Thomas Shea, CEO of the 30-year-old South Florida outplacement firm, Right Management. Don’t be: Workers stay in jobs an average of only four years today.

Another mistake is “woe is me” talk. “Letting them know how badly you need a job that’s not going to make companies hire you,” he says.

Shea recommends job candidates do a self-assessment of their strengths and then target six employers they admire and where they would be a good fit.