***Off the wall tips for finding a job

Tired of the same old advice? Then read these job hunting tips you have never heard before. 1. Don't write a resume. Instead of sending out a resume, talk about who you are. Whenever someone asks for ‘something in writing’ to forward to a contact, don’t do it. Instead, ask to speak directly to that contact. Don't post a resume online, but do post to blogs and other websites in your field. WHY NOT - we often rely on resumes, sending them out blindly to be deleted or discarded. When we talk to people directly, we have a better shot at making the right contacts and selling ourselves. 2. Don't prepare for an interview. When you prepare for an interview you often prepare speeches about yourself. You may also do lots of company research that you are dying to share with the interviewer. Or you may have even rehearsed how to greet the interviewer and conduct yourself in the interview. WHY NOT - when we over prepare we can lose the spontaneity of the interaction. We can be so polished that we are not natural. We can even forget to listen to the interviewer's questions and body language. Prepare, but don't lose yourself. 3. Don’t say yes to a job offer. Don't say yes to every job offer. Don't say yes to an offer that requires you to relocate or travel if that is not what you want. Don't be afraid to say ‘no,’ this job is not for you. WHY NOT - Even in a bad economy you want to be able to say no to a poor offer. Taking a salary with a low starting point can cause problems in the future. You may never catch up if it's just not possible to have your salary jump that much in the organization you’ve joined. You may have to explain to a future employer why you took a lower salary and why you want so much more with them. Hoping that the travel will die down, or that the work you didn't like will get better, is a long shot at best. Taking a job you don't want may make you unmotivated and disgruntled. 4. Don't look for a job. Don't go to job fairs or job-hunting events. Don't apply online or register at a job bank. Don't ask for job leads or look in the job section. WHY NOT - Most of these methods don't lead to a job, so focus on the ones that do. Go to events where there are people with jobs who have information for you on what companies might be open to you (unlike most job-hunting events where there are plenty of people without jobs and no information for you). Put up a webpage, go onto blogs or publish articles in your field to get your message out there and people contacting you. Meet with people but ask for contacts or data, not just jobs. And forget reading the Jobs Wanted section and start reading the Business section to find out what's going on and how that can benefit you.