8 Signs That You Suck At Job Search

by Phil Rosenberg


It’s frustrating to realize you suck at something … but most of you suck at job search. It’s especially frustrating when you’re really good at your job, but because you suck at job search, you’re having trouble finding a new job.
Then again, how can you be very good at something you do only a few times in your career, the rules have changed, the way you’re evaluated has changed, and the very purpose of what you’ve been taught has changed?
At least you’re not alone … most readers of this article suck at searching for a job, whether they realize it or not.
And it’s not your fault that you suck at job search. You were taught job search techniques that had a very different purpose than today. In addition, it’s the most competitive job market of our lifetimes, the first time in our careers where there have an extended period of job shortages.
So you don’t believe that you suck at searching for a job?

Here are 8 Signs That You Suck At Job Search:

1. Your resume response rate is less than 10%: Your resume response rate (Total resumes sent divided by actual face to face job interviews … excluding phone interviews, HR interviews, recruiter interviews and informational interviews) is the best indicator of how well your job search is going. The average resume response rate is a horrible 1.5% – 2%, about the same rate as junk mail – if you’re anywhere near these numbers, you suck at job search.


2. You aren’t getting many interviews: If your resume response rate is poor, then you aren’t getting many interviews. CareerBuilder projects it will take an average 17 interviews to get your next job. Remember that nurses, social media experts, renewable energy experts, and Silicon Valley software developers bring that average down. On the other hand, those in career transition, having sizable career gaps, over 40, executives/managers, those in industries that are downtrodden, geographic movers, and career changers all should expect a much higher number of interviews until their next job.


3. You aren’t getting past the prescreening process: You’re getting calls from HR reps and/or recruiters, but few end up in interviews. This means you’re getting screened out, during the first weeding out process, before you get the chance to impress a decision maker. If this happens often, you suck at searching for a job.


4. Informational interviews go nowhere: You’ve been able to get some informational interviews, but how many of these have resulted in a real, face-to-face, honest-to-goodness job interview with a hiring manager who actually has an approved job to hire? If you aren’t converting informational interviews into job interviews, then you suck at job search.

Signs 5-8 and complete article