Part 2 of 2: In a recent LinkedIn Group discussion among Career Experts, we were all astonished that we feel compelled to repeat so many basics over and over again. “<em>If only candidates followed half of our advice, they would be employed by now”</em> said a well-known expert. Frankly, it feels as if the discipline of job search has taken a turn for the worse.

It’s a new job search era, candidates. Not only are hiring managers using technology to screen, but there are fewer jobs and more applicants. The competition is fierce, hiring managers are feeling more pressure to hire the best, and those who are hunting to WIN a job <span style="text-decoration: underline;">are</span> landing quicker.

After 30+ years in sales and marketing positions in Fortune 500’s, I’ve interviewed, hired and coached thousands during their job search. Some common “crap” prevents a candidate’s success.

<strong>4<sup>th</sup> Top Reason</strong><b> You Are <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Not</span> Employed Right Now: <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Unwilling to describe and be passionate about what job you want</span></b>

<b>3rd Top Reason You are Not Employed Right Now: <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Not Making the Time Commitment</span> </b>

<b>2nd Top Reason You are Not Employed Right Now: "<em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Silver Platter Syndrome"</span></em></b>

Yes, you are talented, you have solid experiences, you deliver great results, and you’ll be a great hire for some lucky hiring manager. Having said all that, the good ole days of someone contacting you to apply for a position are over. (<i>Now, I believe those days will come back in a very different way. In the future, companies won’t even post a position; they will recruit from LinkedIn and use search engine key words. But that’s for another blog.)</i>

Today, candidates, you need to go aggressively after posted positions. And you need to go after multiple jobs at one time vs. one at a time. Build a pipeline of at least 10 job opportunities and hunt to win!  Write a powerful, customized cover letter that spells out why you are the best candidate for their position. It’s all about them! You are the product and you need to appeal to them; not the other way around. Check your ego at the door and pivot your background around the job description and company’s needs.

Finally, another symptom of the <em>Silver Platter Syndrome</em> is your coolness barometer. If you are judging jobs, industries, hiring managers or companies based on how “cool” they are, then you have just limited your available job market for all the wrong reasons.  I worked in office supplies, container shipping and other industries, but got amazing experiences under world class leaders.

<b>1st Top Reason You are Not Employed Right Now: <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Not meeting Maslow’s hierarchy of hiring managers’ needs.</span></b>

The needs are really quite simple, yet most candidate’s mistakes in the below categories are glaringly enormous.
<table width="659" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
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<p align="center"><b> </b></p>
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<td valign="top" width="241">
<p align="center"><b>Hiring Managers’ Needs</b></p>
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<td valign="top" width="389">
<p align="center"><b>Why is this Important?</b></p>
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<td valign="top" width="29">
<p align="center">1.</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="241">Candidates need to <b>write</b> with excellent grammar and no spelling errors.</td>
<td valign="top" width="389">On the job, you will be expected to write, so your communications are a sample.</td>
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<td valign="top" width="29">
<p align="center">2.</p>
</td>
<td valign="top" width="241">Formal, proper <b>communications.
</b>Written, verbal, presentation, non-verbal.</td>
<td valign="top" width="389">On the job, you will be conversing and writing with senior executives, customers, vendors.</td>
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<td valign="top" width="29">
<p align="center">3.</p>
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<td valign="top" width="241"><b>Passion</b> and energy for their job opportunity.</td>
<td valign="top" width="389">Hiring managers want to hire eager, positive people, who are passionate about their space. You are joining a team.</td>
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<td valign="top" width="29">
<p align="center">4.</p>
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<td valign="top" width="241"><b>Basic Business Protocol</b></td>
<td valign="top" width="389">Being on time, taking notes, doing research, having extra copies of your resume, being appropriately-dressed and more are all signs of a job-seeker who is well-organized and will perform appropriately in the job.</td>
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In close, “crap” comes in two forms: excuses and mistakes. Both prevent you from winning the job you want in a quick timeframe.

Come back to <a href="http://danamanciagli.com/">http://DanaManciagli.com</a> for the #4 and #3 two <b><i>Most Ridiculously Obvious Reasons You Are Not Employed Right Now. </i></b><i>Good Luck!</i>