Your Job Search Doesnt Always Have to Be Serious

Your Job Search Doesnt Always Have to Be SeriousJob Search Doesnt Always Have to Be SeriousYour Job Search Doesnt Always Have to Be SeriousJob searching is serious stuff, especially when youre unemployed. OK, now that Ive stated the obvious, I should add that there are times in a job search when people need to loosen up a bit and laugh.Case in point A recent post on The Onion, a leader in satire (also known as heavy sarcasm, also known as this is notlage real) sparked outrage among many readers. The faux news stories on The Onion are so brilliantly written that people not familiar with the site often assume its real news, and thats what happened here.The post carried this headline Report Unemployment High Because People Keep Blowing Their Job Interviews. The upshot of this story? The federal government suggests that job seekers poor interviewing skills and not the economy are preventing them from getting hired, as if the government, no matter which party controls the White House, wou ld go out of its way to insult Americans.Here are a couple of absurdities from the reportPresident Obama, who last week signed a law extending unemployment benefits, said the legislation would also address joblessness by creating a $1.2 billion program aimed at training Americans to use firm but approachable body language to make a great first impression.This economy will not recover until job candidates learn how to put their best foot forward, said Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, warning that even a small increase in stuttering among applicants who are asked to describe their weaknesses could cause the entire labor market to collapse.If that wasnt enough to tell everyone they were reading satire, a look at other nearby headlines, such as the blatantly outrageous NASCAR To Abandon Racing Portion Of Business, Concentrate On Ads should have. But the post sparked as many rants as laughs on the web. (Maybe thats why The Onion didnt have a Comments thread at the end of the post.)Now for th e serious part The post did highlight a few things job seekers do to undermine their chances. Among themNot asking questions in the interview. If you dont ask questions, you may be sending a signal that you arent all that interested in the job or company.Not limiting their cover letters to one page. Three or four short paragraphs should cover it, then let your resume take over from there.Not making their resumes visually appealing. No hiring manager is going to be excited to see a resume thats one solid block of dense text without bullet points, boldface type, or anything to make it easier to read.Your job search is serious, but dont lose your sense of humor as you look for something better seriously