EmploymentCrossing CEO, A. Harrison Barnes, discusses the importance of not being persuaded by others regarding the way you carry out your job search: When you are looking for a job, as with most things in life, you know better than anyone else what works for you. You should not let other people tell you not to try some method just because they don’t personally like it, or because they think another method is better for some reason or another. While someone else’s method may be great, you should not follow it and ignore other options. Instead, the most prudent and most productive path to take is to heed others' advice and try other methods, but don’t stop doing something or never try something just because another method works better for someone else. What it boils down to is that you need to be inclusive, rather than exclusive. You need to work every angle and try every method you can think of in order to carry out a successful job search. Do not foreclose on potential opportunities by letting other people convince you not to try everything possible to get the job you want.

1. Don’t Be Persuaded by Others Who Tell You How to Do Your Job Search

2. Several Year s Ago… I was sitting at my desk and my secretary ran into my office. She told me that the career services dean of a major American law school was on the telephone demanding to speak with me. The call itself wasn’t troubling, but my secretary told me the dean was extremely angry, and she demanded I be interrupted no matter what I was doing.

3. The subject of her anger was a letter I had sent telling her that I wanted to help her students with a service called Legal Authority that assisted law students and new attorneys in getting jobs by doing mass mailings of their resumes to employers in given cities that matched their interests. Numerous law students and recent graduates from her school used Legal Authority with excellent results and have even provided numerous Legal Authority testimonials and Legal Authority reviews. Because of this I asked her why she was so angry. I Took the Call and The Dean Yelled at Me For Several Minutes.

4. I Took the Call and The Dean Yelled at Me For Several Minutes. “ People need to be networking when they look for jobs like they used to,” she said. “ Your methods of getting jobs are removing the personal connection from what students and job seekers should be doing. They need to be going to functions and meeting people to get jobs.”

5. Incredibly, As I Was Speaking With Her… One of my employees forwarded me a testimonial from someone who got a job using our service six months after graduating from the school. The testimonial was sent while I was being yelled at--what a coincidence! The gist of the email was that the person had tried everything within his power to get a job, including using the school’s service, and then within days of using our service had suddenly received numerous job offers. Our service worked wonders for the person’s career.

6. What Works for One Person, Does Not Always Work for Others. I don’t want to see you stuck in a rut when you’re searching for a job. I don’t want you to try one thing over and over again that may not be working for you. What I want is for you to succeed in getting the job you want quickly and efficiently. In order to do this, you need to empty your mind and be open to the possibilities out there. I also do not want you to listen to other people and their opinions about what is best for you in your job search.

7. If You Are In A Job Search and Not Having the Luck You Want… You need to change what you are doing. You cannot keep doing the same thing over and over again. You need to try new things and constantly change how you are approaching the market and your job search. You also need to stop listening to what other people are telling you about your job search and keep your eye on the ball. Your objective is to get a job, nothing more and nothing less.

9. All Systems Can Get Overwhelmed… It is the same thing with your mind and how you go about a job search… If you are looking for a job, that is what you need to be worrying about--finding and getting a job. You do not need to worry about anything that is not related to this.

10. For Example… For example, you could worry about a war in a far-off land, you could worry about whether or not the leader of North Korea is willing to disarm, or you could worry about whether or not there are dust mites living in your carpet. There are numerous things that you can worry about that are unrelated to what you are trying to do. This is one reason people go crazy-they lose touch with reality.

11. I Once Took A Class On Meditation… I once took a class on meditation and, after several sessions, I realized that a great deal of meditation is about clearing your mind and focusing. You cannot clog your own computer with unnecessary information. You need to be absolutely sure that your mind stays clear so that you can focus. You need to be focused on getting a job in the way you want and the way that is best for you.

12. If People Are Trying To Pin You Into A Corner and Tell You How To look for a Job… Then I would recommend staying away from them.

14. It Should Be Obvious… It should be obvious that if you do many different things you are going to sell more of the product. Unfortunately, many people make the mistake of believing that they should only do their job search one way. They listen to other people who tell them the way things should be done.

15. It Should Be Obvious… Do as much as you possibly can. Do not let others influence how you go about looking for a job. Yes, you need connections; however, you also need to get yourself out there and apply to every job and employer you possibly can.

16. Go For the Gold! Be focused when you are searching, and realize that the prize waiting for you is your dream job.