3 Job Search Mistakes To Avoid

Sometimes the thing holding you back in your job search just isn’t on your radar. And you keep on keeping on with minimal results.

If you’re an excellent candidate – which I know you are – you’ll find you will get the momentum you’re looking for if you avoid these three common mistakes.

1. Resume longer than 2 pages:

Just no. I love someone who knows how to self-promote, but if you can’t be concise about it, the recruiters and hiring managers are already thinking – you’re not going to be clear and concise in emails, conversations and the multitude of documents you will produce on the job. Rule of thumb is: For under 10 years of experience, the resume should be one page and over it should be two. There are rare exceptions where I’ve allowed a third page for published works, a deal sheet or film/tv credits. But I would try to avoid it if you can.

2. Submitting applications between 12 AM and 6 AM:

I know you want to finish the application you’ve been working on all night. But I can tell you for sure – you’re going to make mistakes you will regret. You’re going to make typos you read the next day that can take you out of the running. Save your application. Re-read it after a good night's sleep in the morning with fresh eyes. Also – assume the application will take longer than you think it will, so try to start earlier in the evening, if possible, so you can finish earlier.

3. Assuming you need to meet every qualification to apply:

Job descriptions are wish lists. You do not need to be an exact match with every bullet point to be a good fit for the role. Many (women especially) take themselves out of the running for roles that would be excellent next steps for them. Please don’t do that! Especially if you have a contact at the organization! In your materials and your interview, you should talk about the skills you do have and where you can hit the ground running AND talk through the areas you’re looking to grow to explain that’s why you’re looking at roles like this. Reminder: if you have every single qualification for a role, you’re going to be bored in the first few months. Not ideal.

Feel free to share any of the mistakes you’ve learned to avoid along the way – and I’m sending you good job search momentum and mojo this fall!

Reminder, if you’re local to Brooklyn – join us for our next Career Walk and Talk on Thursday, September 26th at 5pm ET - register at rachelbgarrett.com/walk.

How to navigate the uncertainty of career change

Summer is officially over. There’s much grief that comes along with that statement – and that reality. For many, summer allows for a slower pace, more rest, travel and visiting family.

If you’re someone who has been feeling the nudge that career change is on the horizon, all the reasons to put it off a little longer may have disappeared and now you’re up against that moment you were avoiding.

You must do something about it.

Yet even the idea of it gives you the stomach swirl.

The uncertainty.

The uncertainty of what could be next and how to get there usually paralyzes people into inaction.

That’s why I created an unlikely secret weapon - structure.

I built a career shift framework to support you through each step of the process with tools and strategies.

You only need to focus on one step at a time which allows you to tolerate the discomfort of the uncertainty – bit by bit – instead of letting it pull you entirely out of the game.

Knowing you can accomplish each part of the process gives you the momentum and confidence you need to get through that last leg of the work with your networking, interviewing and negotiating an offer that’s on your terms.

I will be there with you, to guide you and to bear witness to all of your ideas and possibilities that actually live within that dreaded uncertain stew.

Good news, bad news – it’s where we find all of your creativity and the good stuff you’ve been pushing way down.

So if you’ve known September is your time, but the uncertainty has you tied in pumpkin spiced knots – let’s talk about how I can walk you through – one reflective exercise, one LinkedIn strategy at a time.

You can set up a free 30-min zoom call to discuss how you can tap into your career desires even if you don’t know what they are yet.

A tight market bears fruit

As we wrap up summer, I want to report from the front lines. I'm seeing clear signs that this tight job market is opening up.

Current and former clients have been reaching out in the last month to set up tight-turnaround sessions to discuss offers – and I do mean offers plural – that they are currently negotiating.

One client called to discuss two offers from her vacation.

So here’s a tip – if you want to finally get the offer – go on a two week vacation.

In my world – 2024 job searches did take longer than those in 2023 – but one thing is consistent.

In all of my nine years coaching, my focus has always been to help you find a role that is on your terms, based on your life priorities. And that is exactly what happened in this tougher job market.

With those clients weighing offers, together, we go back to their non-negotiables that we discussed in the very beginning of the process. We make sure those terms are present in the offer and we strategize how to negotiate to meet or exceed those terms with the final offer.

I’m proud to say that while the processes may have been extended in this market, 100% of my clients who landed new roles this year, stuck to their non-negotiables and were not seduced by the good on paper (with all the red flags) roles that preceded the jobs they accepted.

So if you’ve been wondering if you should dip a toe into the search, but have been fearing what you will face out there, come on in…the water is much more fine that it was a few months ago.

And – of course – I’m here to help you navigate it in a focused and strategic way. So you don’t feel like you’re trying a million things without an idea of what's going to stick.

To learn how to get started you can go to rachelbgarrett.com/clarity to set up your 30-minute clarity call!

Kamala Harris for the People

The past few weeks have been a cocktail of adrenaline and inspiration. A mixture of so many things that fuel me.

Truth Telling.

Vulnerability.

Seismic changes in leadership.

The validation of a talented and underestimated woman meeting the highest stakes moment with embodied confidence.

Women of all ages speaking powerfully about reclaiming our rights to make choices about our own bodies.

Strong men standing in solidarity and in support of women leaders.

Humans with diverse perspectives in community, working together toward a common goal.

There’s been a fleeting feeling in my body that goes beyond hope and optimism. And I can’t let it all the way in, just yet.

It’s safety.

It’s calm.

We might be ok. Our country might be ok.

But there’s a lot of work to do to get there. The first and easiest thing to be done is to make sure your voice will be heard.

Priority number one: Check your voter registration to make sure you will be able to vote on November 5th or before with early voting.

Go to ➡️ https://iwillvote.com/to confirm you’re registered and/or register – there’s still time!

I’m so excited to be voting for Kamala Harris to be our next President of the United States – our first woman president and my heart is full for the direction of our country when she takes office.