15 T-Shirts To Avoid During Job Search

No one wears a t-shirt to a job search networking event.  Do they?

Well, you shouldn’t.  But if you thought about it and wanted to wear one of these, please pull them out of your virtual closet.  Right now.

And burn them.

Maybe as fodder for creating a more positive job search bonfire.

But what’s the point here really?

You got it.  It’s not about the t-shirt.  It’s about the message.  Because you can send the wrong message even when you are wearing a sweet 3-piece or hot pant suit.

Yes, it’s true.

So in an effort to help you create more positive social networking habits, read through these messages to avoid and find another more positive one to share.

Don’t forget to vote for your favorite in the comments.  You might win a printed version.  So you can burn it. 

#1

Does this one surprise you?  For many, this is the over-arching view they carry through the process.  Instead, what if you saw job search as an opportunity.  What are you doing to become a better person during job search? There are 101 (other) things to do during job search that can make the experience suck less.

#2

I like recruiters.  I really do.  But many job seekers don’t.  Because there is this chasm between job seekers and recruiters.  A misunderstanding of epic proportions.   But while recruiters aren’t a major solution for most, they can be a source of help.  And, every once in a while, a source of jobs.

#3

Job seekers are tempted to accept bad jobs and bad job offers.  Because each promises to end this tough time in life.  But many offers simply end in another job search.  Because we accept a job we can’t love and often can’t stand.  Or we accept a job that pays us half our old salary and wonder later why we are angry at the boss who made us the offer.  My advice?  Don’t settle.

#4

Job seekers feel disrespected by HR people, hiring companies in general and recruiters who don’t respond.  And don’t provide any feedback.  In fact, some job seekers are left out in the cold. Brrrr! And you’ll meet some interviewers who screw up and use interview styles that are rude and unfair.  So it’s understandable to want respect.  And yes, you deserve it.  But don’t be a hater of HR.  No one is served by that.

#5

Some people have quiet voices.  It’s what God gave them.  But if you are out networking to meet new people, you need to serve up an effective and engaging elevator pitch.  Impossible to do if you are a quiet talker.  So speak up.  Please.  So we can hear you.

#6

You have to tell us what’s really going on in your life.  Or else we don’t know how and when to help you.  If you hide your problems and stand proud when things are going worse than you planned, you will miss out on a hot meal of friendship.  So I do suggest you practice naked networking but I don’t want you to advertise it this way.

#7

When out networking, meeting with a recruiter or in an interview, I want you confident and positive.  This is the opposite of how many people see you: desperate during job search.  HR people say they can smell it.  So don’t be a desperado.

#8

Some people have this weird “Sixth Sense” (the movie) thing going on.  They are out of work, but don’t act like it.  They are not networking with a purpose.  They are doing a lot of socializing.  Which, if I have to tell you, is not very productive.  They get overly optimistic in transition believing that their search will be just a few weeks. Until some smart company plucks them off the dirt and gently places them in a soft, swaying hammock.

#9

Need I say this again?  If you wear this t-shirt during job search – 0r express this view to your network – very few people will be able to help you.  So, instead, establish specific job search objectives.  Give us tangible data we can use to help you.  Including target companies.  Deal?

#10

Fear is a common emotion for job seekers.  Fear of meeting new people, admitting that you are out of work, running out of money, etc.  But fear has a funny way of stopping us in our tracks.  And keeping us from doing important things.  So pick the one thing you are afraid of and, as Seth Godin says, run straight at it.  Disable it by acting on it.

#11

OK.  This one’s just a tired joke for any situation.  But we do a lot of old-fashioned, dumb things during job search.  We do dumb things in a job interview (like trying to tell jokes).  And we make mistakes while networking.  So read these links to avoid both.  OK?

#12

You have to let go of angry feelings.  Even if your last boss was a jerk.  Or your last company mistreated you.  If you don’t let it go, the anger will come out at the wrong time.  During an interview perhaps.  You have to pay attention to your psychology during job search.  Every aspect of your search is affected by how you feel.  So find a happy place. Find a way to forgive people.  And move on.

#13

OK.  Stop waiting.  If you are hanging out at home waiting for job leads to arrive via email, text message or phone call, you need to do something really important.  And get your butt out of the house during job search.  Seriously.  Get out and meet with new people.

#14

This year I published my second book, HeadStrong, because I was meeting so many people who were struggling with their confidence.  And it was coming across as a real negative.  The truth is that we are more willing to help people who we think can help themselves.  It is better to have someone feeling proactive empathy for you vs. sympathy.  So the book is about the keys to a confident and positive attitude during job search.  Buy it from the site, tell me you read this post and I’ll send you a Starbucks gift card.

#15

Getting laid off sometimes comes with plenty of warning.  Other times, a lay off hits hard without any hint of its pending carnage.  In fact, I’ve heard of people who honestly thought the meeting with HR and their boss was going to be about their next promotion.  Turns out the company had others plans.

OK, now it’s your turn.

First, leave a comment with a vote on your favorite t-shirt.  The one you think people should most avoid.

Second, tell me the saying that I missed.  The one you think would make a great #16.  Either from your own experience or based on someone you met.

Then we’ll pick a winner.  And if you’d like, I’ll pick a few random people who commented and send them a printed version of that t-shirt.  For fun, of course.

So please comment on this post.

Note: The messages on each t-shirt were created from scratch.  Any similarity to any real t-shirts out there (I hope not) is coincidental.

Written by: Tim Tyrell-Smith
Tags: 40plus | avoid | during | employment | human interest | interviews | job application | job descriptions | job hunting | job interview | job offer | Job Search | jobs seeker | jobs that pay | recruitment | shirts | social psychology | wear | wear t shirt
Categories: Social Networking