Brazen Careerist offers three common errors job seekers make that can put them out of the running — straight from the mouth of a hiring professional. Take heed to avoid the mistakes that might lead to your resume being sent to the trash bin.

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There are always those tried and true mistakes job seekers make when interviewing. AOL Jobs details four of them, all gaffes that recruiters have witnessed themselves. They’re deal-breakers that ensure you won’t be getting a callback. Be aware of them, and if you’re challenged, learn how you can avoid making the same mistakes twice.

1. Don’t forget your people skills: “An individual applied for a customer-service job, and when asked what he might not like about the job, he said, ‘Dealing with people.’”

“The applicant told me if she had realized it was our company, she wouldn’t have shown up for the interview.”

“When asked by the hiring manager why she was leaving her current job, the applicant said, ‘My manager is a jerk. All managers are jerks.’”

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Harvard Business Review explains four of those common myths —with a notable debunking of the notion that working longer hours means more accomplished— and why they just don’t work in today’s modern career landscape.

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Senior professionals bring valuable experience to the workplace. (Image: Thinkstock)

According to a recent Pew Charitable Trusts report, people over age 55 have it the worst when it comes to unemployment, with more than 43% having been out of work a year or more — the highest rate of any age group.

This suggests that employers are more likely to hire a younger job applicant than an older one. Many recruiters and hiring managers may see older candidates as less of an asset simply because of salary requirements, health issues and other perceived liabilities.

But age has it’s benefits, especially when it comes to experience and having a strong, well-developed foundation of knowledge and skills. Here are four assets senior professionals bring to the table simply because of years of experience and seniority:

Problem Solving: At age 50 or over, there are few challenges they have not faced, or solutions they have not considered or tried. They’ve learned what action steps work best for certain situations, and what don’t. Because of this experience, they are now able to solve business problems faster than many young job seekers. They oftentimes can more quickly identify the important drivers impacting underperformance and the best solutions to shorten the time required to improve sales and profit results.

People Management: Many have learned that people are a company’s most valuable asset. It is a given that companies with the best people usually perform the best. Knowing that, they have discovered over time how to quickly assess who should stay and who should go, and how to make those who stay even better. They have helped other workers to strengthen their innate abilities, make more informed decisions, and work more effectively with others on a team.

Judgment: Good judgment is a highly valued trait for all successful executives. Companies now demand it. The extensive business experience of a senior professional enables you to make better decisions across a broad array of alternative courses of action. From who to fire and who to hire, to where to cut and where to spend, they are often in a better position to make these important decisions than younger executives because they have faced and made more of them.

Leadership: As few executives are born leaders, this ability takes time to develop. At an older age, senior professionals will most likely have more proven leadership experience than those younger. They’ve had the opportunity to lead teams, initiate new programs and projects, spearhead a company’s shift to a new direction, or motivate peers to aggressive goals.

Tucker Mays and Bob Sloane are principals of OptiMarket L.L.C., an executive job search coaching firm they co-founded in 2001 to help executives over 50 find their next job in the shortest time possible. Tucker and Bob have also co-authored the book Fired at 50: How to Overcome the Greatest Executive Job Search Challenge (OptiMarket; $14.95).

(Image: Thinkstock)

Having to deal with a mean, surly coworker can be a drag, especially if the job is already stressful. And sometimes the premise of ‘sisterhood’ can go out the window when it comes to interoffice relationships between women. Catty competition, back-biting, and insecurity can be problems that put office morale at a major low.

Interacting with those ‘mean girls’ in the office can be a bit tricky, and you don’t want to lose your cool — or your job — in the process. Madame Noire gives a step-by-step strategy in professionally handling situations with manipulative coworkers, giving you the option to uphold your integrity and practice appropriate conflict resolution to make your day that much easier.

Read more at Madame Noire …

(Image: Thinkstock)

Though the U.S Senate recently voted against President Obama’s $447 billion jobs bill, everyday workers — employed and unemployed — still find ways to push forward, with persistence, faith and a will to remain positive by any means.

Despite continuously devastating setbacks, many professionals are finding motivation within themselves to triumph over the woes of unemployment. One of those is Marc, 32, a bachelor who managed to recently regain momentum after being out of work for two years.

THE DAY EVERYTHING CHANGED

When Marc went to work on February 18, 2009, he assumed it would be business as usual. He’d worked for one of the nation’s leading telecommunications companies for nine years, moving from a customer service rep to manager of large business accounts.  With a team of 13 staff members, Marc took pride in his career and enjoyed his work.

Though others had been laid off in the company, Marc was sure that he was safe and even joked at times that he’d be with the company forever. As a young, single professional with no kids, Marc was often the go-to guy for special projects and big accounts. His experience and ability to work long, late hours often resulted in more work, especially since so many others had been laid off.  When he was called into his boss’ office that day, he assumed it was to discuss a new project — until he saw another colleague leave in tears.

Marc was given 30 days notice of his termination.

Completely shocked and unprepared, Marc had no idea of what to do next.  He had never been unemployed and had spent almost of all his adult years working for a company that no longer needed him. For the first year, in a state of denial, Marc decided that he’d make the use his severance pay and unemployment insurance to  vacations, spend time with family, and live an adventurous stress-free life.  “I did all the things that I could never do because I was always working so much.”

A WAKE-UP CALL

Marc was in no rush to get back into the job market until the day his mom gave him a much needed wake-up call.  “She asked me how long I was going to live like this.”  This was the just the reality check that Marc needed especially since his money had begun to run out.

It had been years since Marc had been on the job market, and he honestly thought it wouldn’t be that difficult to find a new job.  “I never had a hard time finding work in the past. I didn’t think it would be this difficult.”

After a few months of sending out tons of resumes and even going on several interviews, Marc got no job offers. The intensity of being unemployed at the height of the recession began to take a toll on him. He found himself at a disadvantage because he never completed his bachelor’s degree. “I had friends with master’s degrees who also couldn’t find a job. So, I knew if they were having a hard time, it would be even harder for me.”

There was a slight gleam of hope when Marc took a position with another major telecommunications company in March 2010.  However, after three months he realized he couldn’t afford to keep the job because the cost of the commute was actually more than what he was being paid. He was once again back to being unemployed (this time with no unemployment insurance) and had become very discouraged. “There were days that I didn’t get out of bed until 4 p.m. I guess you can say I was depressed.”

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GETTING BACK IN THE GAME

There was one place that he’d always had a desire to be more involved in but didn’t have the time to fully devote to: church. Deciding to become more active, he began helping to develop his church’s community development corporation, lending his planning, creative, and technical skills to improve and spearhead much of the organization’s projects.  “I felt like God was telling me to put Him first.  When I had a job, I didn’t have time for the church. Now was the time to give back.”  As a result of his work with the church, Marc was asked to do work for other individuals and organizations which helped to bring in some income.

With the faith and support from his church, family, and friends, along with a new stream of income coming in, Marc got motivated to get back out there. He began getting up early every day as if he were going to work. “Looking for a job was my job.” He began to expanding his net, humbling himself and considering positions that hadn’t previously been on his radar.

Eventually, his hard work and humility paid off. He applied and landed an interview for a position as a dispatcher for a leading medical alert company. After three interviews, Marc was no longer being considered for the dispatch position but was asked to lead the company’s new quality assurance department.

Today, Marc is the quality assurance manager for the company, providing service to elderly and home-bound clients.  Though he doesn’t make as much as he did with the telecommunications company, Marc has a job that he loves and is proud of the work he does to help those in need.

LESSONS LEARNED

Don’t waste time: Marc spent his first year of unemployment traveling and visiting family and friends because he didn’t want to face the reality of being out of work.  He urges others who are unemployed not to put off getting back into the job market.  “The longer you’re out of work, the harder it is to find a job.”  Marc doesn’t regret the time spent with his family, but says if he had to do it over again, he would have been looking for a job at the same time.

Develop a schedule or routine for your day as if you’re employed: The hardest part of going back to work, Marc says, was having to get back into a regular schedule.  After almost two years of staying up late and waking up even later, it was difficult for Marc to get back into the routine of working.  Since looking for a job really is a full-time commitment, job seekers are encouraged to keep the same schedule that they would if they were working.  Fortunately, Marc learned this lesson early on and was able to smoothly transition into his new career.

Education is vital: Marc didn’t realize how significant a college degree was until he found himself out of work and competing with others who had several. As a result, he has registered and is scheduled to return to school in January 2012. With a major in Accounting and a minor in Marketing, Marc is confident that he’ll be in a much better position should he ever find himself unemployed again. Also, he wants to pursue a career in accounting, a skill that lends itself to full-time and freelance opportunities.

Aisha Taylor (@realTAYLORmade) is co-owner and chief consultant at TAYLORmade Professional Career Consulting, a Web-based, full-service career consulting company committed to “equipping, preparing, and empowering today’s professional” globally. Check out her weekly insights on job-seeking and interviewing success every Friday on BlackEnterprise.com.

(Image: Thinkstock)

I’m grateful to have had some kind of steady employment since the age of sixteen, and with the job scarcity that exists in the present day of this country, people no longer have the luxury of jumping from one job to the other. For this reason, thousands of Americans are overworked, underpaid and filled with a daily anxiety of having to report to a job that they truly despise just to maintain their lifestyles. Hopefully a few small changes can make the difference between you getting your bills paid and not losing your mind. Check out a few ways to cope with a job you can’t stand.

1. Focus on work, and forget the drama.

It can be easy to get sucked into drama with co-workers and the cutthroat mechanics of the career ladder, but all that time you spend participating in personal drama is time that you are taking away from improving your professional status. Maybe you don’t wish to own the company one day, but at the same time you wouldn’t be there if you didn’t have bills to pay. Never let other people’s problems jeopardize your finances.

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