Career Peace

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is using the internet as your only job search mechanism. The internet is great to searching for published job openings. It’s even good for submitting a resume for companies who accept them online.

But if you’re using the internet as your sole hope for a new job or career change, you’re doing yourself a big disservice.

There’s a temptation to slip into the comfortable mindset when job searching online. Cyberspace is huge. And because so many companies list their job openings online, there seems to be an endless supply of job opportunities that match your skills.

All you have to do is submit your resume to the right one, and presto - new job, right?

Please don’t make this mistake. Just because the internet is so powerful doesn’t mean your next job will come at the drop of an icon.

True, the internet can give you a lot of helpful job hunting information. You can find out who to call to set up an informational interview, but you still have to make the calls and sell the hiring authority on your job skills.

The internet should be a part of your job search. But it should never be all of it. Sure, there are a lot of job boards out there. And a lot of companies post their job openings online. And if you are fortunate enough to hook up with your dream job with this method, congratulations!

Just don’t get bummed out if it doesn’t work out for you. For most people, it’s just not enough.

Your computer can’t hire you, nor can it write you a paycheck. You still need to sell yourself to another live human on why you’re better than all the other resumes they took in online.

Now having said that, there are a lot of job search functions the internet works great for. I’ll tell you about those tomorrow. So keep your feed reader pointed right here, at Career Peace.

One of the major problems in the American workplace is job boredom. And while the job you have now may stress you to your limit, don’t be quick to wish for the opposite.

A job with absolutely no stress might be just as painful as one with too much. And it might leave you every bit as dissatisfied.

A job that doesn’t make good use of your skills can be nothing short of mind-numbing. Just ask Bruce Bartlett.

He held a high profile position at the U.S. Treasury Department: Deputy Assistant Secretary of Economic Policy. Sounds important. And it certainly paid well.

So you’d think Bruce Bartlett would have been pretty happy. But he wasn’t.

According to the Washington Post, even though Bartlett had his own secretary and supporting staff, he was bored out of his mind. Bartlett’s problem was that his job carried a very specific job description.

However, President Bush is so preoccupied with foreign policy (Iraq in particular) that economic policy just isn’t a concern at the White Hose. This leaves Bartlett and his staff with nothing to do.

According to the Post…

“There is a reason why prison is considered punishment,” Bartlett said, comparing it to his former job. “You may be in a gilded cage, but if you’re just forced to sit there for eight hours all day long, staring at the wall, it can be excruciating.”

On the other hand, a job that keeps you busy keeps your mind occupied. When a lot of things are happening in a short period of time, you begin to feel valued by your organization. Even though you may have too much job responsibility, your mind tells you how valued you are by your company.

So while you may dream of a career change where all you have to do all day is surf the net. But as the old adage goes, be careful what you wish for. You just might get it. And it may not bring the peaceful and fulfilling worklife you seek.