When stuck in a job search slump, people usually know they’re doing something wrong, but often have no idea what it is that’s actually keeping them from achieving employment. They blame their inexperience, lack of interview skills, and even themselves for not knowing the “right” connections to a job. While all of these factors can certainly stand in the way of a job seeker and employment, more often than not the only thing keeping them from landing a job is that they’re being too picky, according to The Editors at JIST.”Most people limit their job search to one or two jobs that they feel qualified for. Unfortunately, this approach eliminates many jobs that a person could do and enjoy at the same time,” write The Editors at JIST in their recently-released book Top 300 Careers, Eleventh Edition. They say that too many job seekers search for employment with only one or two job titles in mind. In doing so, such job seekers miss out on opportunities that require the same skills and experience they may already possess. For example, an individual may think the only job title that applies to him or her is “market researcher,” yet economists, operations research analysts, and urban and regional planners use many of the same skills as a market researcher.In Top 300 Careers, The Editors at JIST encourage job seekers to broaden their job targets to find more opportunities, more quickly in the world of work. They offer the following tips:

• Explore a variety of occupations: To learn more about other jobs they may be suited for job seekers can study a variety of job postings online or in classified ads, conducting informational interviews, or reading about occupations in reference books like Top 300 Careers or the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

• Match skills to occupations: People tend to enjoy doing things that they’re good at. Having a strong skill set and pursuing a job that connects with those skills will often lead job seekers to the kind of careers they will be successful in and find rewarding.

• Don’t abandon your experience and education too quickly: Much of the knowledge people have developed in previous jobs or other settings can play a significant role in related jobs. People who are aware of how their experience, skills and education connect them to various jobs are typically the ones who make the most successful career changes.
• Customize your resume to the job

Top 300 Careers, Eleventh Edition, is available at all major bookstores and from the publisher (www.jist.com or 1.800.648.JIST). To speak with The Editors at JIST, contact Natalie Ostrom. JIST, America’s Career Publisher, is a division of EMC/Paradigm Publishing and is the leading publisher of job search, career, and occupational information books, workbooks, assessments, videos and software.