Is Your Job Seeker 'Biological Clock' Clicking?

Every time I see Marissa Tomei's performance in "My Cousin Vinny" I can't wait for the scene when she screams her biological clock is ticking. It's hilarious! Here it is. (Note: there's some swearing in it.)

The Clock Ticks Quickly In A Job Seeker's Mind

As I watch this famous movie moment, I find myself thinking of how many job seekers I've met over the years who feel (and sometimes even act!), the same way about their job search.

Here's what happens: on the day they make the decision to look for a new job, a little clock starts ticking in their heads. It's a timer that secretly starts to torment them. As the days turn to weeks, and the weeks turn to months, their confidence decreases and their anxiety rises. They become crazed by the thought that A) their opportunity to find a good job is fading, and B) there is something wrong with them. They've got good reason to feel that way. Here's why...

• For those without a job - studies show after as little as one month of unemployment, you can begin to get discriminated against by recruiters. At the six month mark, your chances of getting hired start to dwindle even more. Being unemployed can come with the stigma you're an under-performer. The longer you go without working, the harder it is to convince employers to give you a chance.

• Even if you have a job - the stats aren't good. The average length of job search in America is 9+ months (39+ weeks). Finding work takes time. But studies show folks give up looking after about 5 months. An old staffing industry rule of thumb I was taught years ago is you should plan on one month of job search for every $10K you want to make. Do the math and you can see how the tine ads up.

(Well-Intended) Misguided Approaches Create Poor Results

However, the real reason finding work takes so long is most job seekers are using the wrong approach that gets them shut out of the hiring process. For example, if you had to start looking for a job tomorrow, here's what you would most likely do:

1. Throw a resume together that makes you sound as impressive as possible by using lots of fancy terms to make your work sound important.
2. Get on all the job boards you can find and spend hours reading job postings and filling out online applications.
3. Sit back and wait for phone calls.

Not only is the above the most ineffective way to look for work, it's also the most depressing. Your efforts go into a big, black digital hole where you have no control over the outcome. The entire process feels career limiting, doesn't it? At any given time you are at the mercy of what jobs are available - and your options are generally few and usually not that exciting. Furthermore, you have no way to truly interact with the employer in an effort to differentiate yourself. In short, it's demotivating and feels counter-productive. [For more information on this subject, here's a new video series that explains the 8 ways job seekers get shut out of the hiring process today.]

This is exactly why we start to feel that clock tick and become emotional about our job search. When you know you are doing something that isn't effective, the longer you keep doing it, the worse you feel.

The Solution? Stop "Gathering" a Job & Start "Hunting" for One

While the approach to job search outlined above may appear to the average job seeker like they are hunting for work, they aren't. It's really a gathering technique - and that's why it produces such dismal results. "Gathering" is the act of collecting the low hanging fruit. It's choosing the path of least resistance. It's taking the easy way out. It's like going apple picking and instead of climbing the tree to get the biggest, juiciest apples on the tree, you opt to look down on the ground and grab apples that are bruised but easy to pick up. See the difference?

"Hunting" for a job involves identifying a target list of employers and building a strategy to land a job with one of them. It requires developing skills and acquiring tools that will help you succeed. It takes focus, patience, tenacity, and passion. If you want to get the best jobs today as quickly as possible, you need to tackle the search like a true hunter.

Here's the Good News - It's Not Rocket Science Or Brain Surgery

While hunting for a job today takes more skill and effort than gathering , it's not so hard to master. You just need the right tools and advice to help you optimize your job search. If you study the new ways to find work, coupled with consistency doing some high-payoff activities, you can find a new job.

The sooner you quit stomping your foot and start looking for the answers, the sooner the timer in your head will stop ticking!

If you want to read more of what I've written, check out my articles on Inc.com.

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PS - Have we met? I work with companies and job seekers helping them find each other. How? I teach both sides how to do a better job of branding themselves.

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My company CareerHMO, has helped over 4,000 professionals with their careers. We provide some valuable free resources, like this video tutorial series called, "8 Ways Job Seekers are Shut Out of the Hiring Process."

For the companies, our top-ranked website helps them tell their stories better with something called Employment Branding. It's what gets good talent to find them and want to work for them.

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