Fifty-four percent of the people answering our Poll say that finding the right opportunity is the hardest part of the job search.  Here are some of the reasons we find people have that difficulty. 

Reason #1.  People blast their resumes and expect employers to discover them.  Picture this.  You’re an employer.  You receive hundreds, perhaps thousands, of resumes in a month.  After you throw out the ones that have typos, you still have 10% left, but they all look alike.  What are we taught in America?  To belong.  To fit in.  To look like everyone else.  Not to rock the boat.  The nail that is sticking up gets pounded down. 

Solution.  You need to change your mindset.  You have to learn how to differentiate yourself.  What makes you different?  What makes you special?  What makes you unique?  What makes you better than other people with the same resume?  This isn’t easy.  It takes a lot of thinking and analyzing.

Reason #2.  People don’t know what the “right opportunity” is.  If you were going hunting for unicorns, you would have to know what a unicorn looks like.  Are you hunting for a job without defining what that job looks like?  I’m talking about the job you really want.  I’m not talking about cramming your foot into a shoe that isn’t your size, Drezella.

Solution.  Define exactly what it is you’re looking for.  Put it in writing.  Look at it every day.  Paste it on the bathroom mirror.  Put it by your computer.  Leave a copy by your phone.  Every time you read an article in the newspaper, see an ad in a trade magazine, read a blog, get Tweeted by someone, relate it to what you are looking for.  Find the connection.

Reason #3.  People read books like The Secret and expect the universe to send the right job to them special delivery.  Now I liked the book, and I practice creative visualization.  I’m open to good things happening to me.  I hope for the best, but I don’t stop there.  I work seven days a week and several of those days are twelve hour days. 

Solution.  You have to be proactive.  You have to go out and get what you want.  It isn’t going to fall in your lap.  If you aren’t working full-time to find your Dream Job, start now.

Reason #4.  Too many people are looking for the right opportunity in the wrong place.  If you’re stuck in an accidental career, rather than an intentional career, you may be in the woods hunting for truffles when what you really want is fruit and berries.  Your personal goals and objectives aren’t aligned with who you are and what you do best.

Solution.  Figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are.  What do you like to do?  What do you do well?  Then research what people will pay you to do. 

Reason #5.  Some people are still trying to please other people.  A lawyer once told me that in his family, you became a doctor unless you couldn’t stand the sight of blood.  Then, you became a lawyer, unless you weren’t smart enough, in which case you became an accountant.  The highest life form, however, was a teacher.  Are you still trapped in other people’s expectations? 

Solution.  Be what you want to be.  Find your passion, and you’ll never work another day in your life.  Finding a job will be an exhilarating experience, a treasure hunt, rather than a root canal.

Reason #6.  They are spreading themselves too thin.  Richard Nelson Bolles in What Color is Your Parachute? says “….your chances of uncovering a job, does increase with each additional method that you use—but only up to four, in number.  If you use more than four methods of job-hunting, your likelihood of success begins to decrease, and continues to decrease with each additional method that you add to your search, beyond four.”

Solution.  Decide what are the most effective means of finding a job for your particular field and stick to those.  Don’t waste time trying a little bit of everything.  You’ll just be spinning your wheels.

Reason #7.  Some people don’t know how to do research on the Internet.  There is so much information out there that it can be overwhelming, but you need to know how to find it. 

Solution.  If you don’t have any research skills, take courses.  Many colleges offer career advancement classes, job seeking skills, and free seminars through education, training and counseling services.

Reason #8.  Some people are thinking in a straight line.  They expect their next job to be exactly like their old job.  Perhaps they are afraid of taking risks, but this is just like people who invest all their money in CDs because they are afraid of losses in the stock market.  The risk they run is that inflation will diminish their purchasing power.  You cannot eliminate risk; you can only control it.

Solution.  Think creatively.  Brainstorm for ideas with your family and friends—especially younger people.  Keep an open mind.  Don’t be quick to denigrate anyone’s suggestions.  This will discourage them from helping you.  Find a group of people who are in your field and also looking for jobs; get together with them on a regular basis.  These groups share information and ideas; help to keep each other on track (a little competitiveness is always a good thing); and provide moral support.  When you see someone else getting a job, analyze what they did, and try to duplicate their efforts in your own job search.