Theres Only So Much You Can Control in the Job Search

Theres Only So Much You Can Control in the Job SearchTheres Only So Much You Can Control in the Job SearchTheres Only So Much You Can Control in the Job SearchIf youve been searching several months for a new job, or if youre unemployed and wondering when and where youll be working again, youve probably had at least one moment when you questioned your abilities or wondered why you havent been able to land a new job.Have you ever thought that it just might not be your fault?Hiring is not a science. In fact, any of the following factors can hurt your chancesThe hiring manager was in a bad mood when he or she read your resumeYou wore a nice, conservative blue suit to the interviewbut the hiring manager just doesnt like blueYou have a funny brde name, like Howerschnitzer or Flutersnoot, that elicits a snicker from a hiring managerYour name is James and there are already three Jameses in the hiring managers small department orYour last place of employment, where you made great career progr ess, happens to be the same company that fired the hiring managers wife.OK, anyone who makes hiring decisions like those deserves a huge can of whoop-ass. But those are factors you cant control. One of our favorite bloggers, Alison Green, herself a hiring manager, offers six key insights into how employers choose their job candidates. According to Alison, it all comes down to who stands out above the rest, how the candidate would get along with his or her boss and mesh with the company culture, and who really wants the job.The truth is, you cant really control the hiring managers perceptions, either. All you can do is be honest with yourself and others in the hiring process and give it your best shot.