As a resume writer, I often speak with clients who are burned out at work because they do it all and feel underpaid and under appreciated. They are tired, angry and confused about what their options are and remain in their prison-like situation for several years feeling stuck and powerless.

Then it happens. They have one of those days where they have just about had it! They grab the classified ads to find job listings that appeal to them and realize they need a resume in order to be considered. They look in their local yellow pages and search online to find a resume service, wondering only what the price is for a general resume.

To their surprise, they learn a resume must have a focus in order to generate results. That is the last thing they need to hear. They are confused enough and anxious about getting out of their situation as quickly as possible. They certainly do not need the added stress of figuring out what they want to do and spend more time in their dreaded position!

When asked by a resume writer how they plan to find their next job, they briefly consider a few possibilities. Inevitably, the game plan is always the same – to put it online at the popular job boards and hope to hear from companies for interviews.

The pitfalls of this approach does not worry them because they have not decided what they want to do. In their mind they are completely okay with someone else making the decision for them. They are under the impression that they will hear what the offers are and pick and choose to their liking. They also think it can’t hurt to go on the interviews to hear what the offers are.

What they do not realize is that they are placing themselves in a job search scenario that will most likely result in jumping around from job to job until they find what they are looking for. In the interim, they will miss out on great opportunities because they failed to target the right company and type of position they are well qualified for or qualified to transition to.

Furthermore, they will not get paid adequately for a job they do not have the right skills for, or worse, are over-qualified for. They are making a mistake by not making an effort to research various occupations to learn how marketable. Without this step, they will not know how much leverage they have in the marketplace and the salary they can command.

They are leaving the salary decision to a company or recruiter looking for anyone to fill the position. Keep in mind, a hiring company needs to know what your salary expectations are. If you come in too low, you can risk disqualifying yourself because they expect you to be at a certain level or you may be taken advantage of.

Limiting your job search to the job boards limits your opportunities and increases the likelihood that you will hear from agencies offering insurance sales and commission-only sales jobs. Yes, you may get lucky. But should your job search be handled like the roll of the dice?

If you are at a point in your career where you feel you want to explore other opportunities, remain in your current job while you research companies online and job titles in the online classified ads to get a feel for the requirements of each position. Visit salary.com to see what you are worth. Then have your resume professionally prepared with a specific position in mind. In doing so, your chances of identifying a job that is right for you will be increased, you will perform better on interviews, and your job search will be more successful.

Image taken on 2009-04-16 09:54:03. Image Source. (Used with permission)