5 Surefire Ways to NOT Get the Job You Want

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You forgot #6
Going on employee review websites and trashing the employer you used to work for, or are currently trying to leave employment with.
Do any of the rocket scientists who go on those sites and whine whine whine about how awful awful awful a particular company is think they're going to be able to negotiate a decent salary with the next potential employer if that hiring manager has done some research on sites like Glassdoor.com, etc.?
Good luck asking for better pay and benefits after you and nine of your loser coworkers (most likely a bunch of under-performers, no doubt) have gone and just whined up a storm about how bad bad bad it is to work at (insert name of your company here).
That's like walking into a bank to ask for a loan, but telling them you're almost broke and that no other lender would lend to you.
Use a little reverse psychology in this lame economy, people. Go get on those websites and post the absolutely most fabulous employee reviews of your company so that, when in salary negotiations elsewhere, they think, "Ah, so this person is well taken care of over there; I guess we'll need to be really really welcoming to get them to come on over here."
Only a moron would hit the job market while (or after) whining about how awful it was to work for the place they now have on that resume (you're gonna keep your past employers on that resume for a while, right? You're not going to omit a significant position that's only maybe 3-4 years back, right?).
So, that's the big #6 on how NOT to get another great job; anonymously whining to the entire Planet (including potential future hiring managers who may be negotiating your salary with you) about how lame awful and horrible it was wherever you were.
A dunce cap to anyone who pulls that stuff in this rough economy. That's just a completely losing strategy. Get a therapist for a whine-session if you need one, but don't trash your company if you want your next employer to treat you any better.
Duh.

Adding one more to the list of IL 1:05AM September 19, 2011

The hardest thing to accept though is that you could do everything right and still not get the job and not know WHY?
(Unless you get a candid recruiter who admits that the ad was basically fake.)

Event_Horizon of IL 7:38PM September 13, 2011

I disagree with the following: "At one company, a business suit might be the ticket to making a dazzling first impression, while at another, they might think you’ve overdone it if they’re a little looser when it comes to a dress code."
I worked 3 years in a casual dress company (about 1000 employees) where we were allowed to wear sweatpants, jeans, hoodies, you name it. However, we expected that all interviewing candidates look their best in business professional. Unless the candidate blew us a way, even a polo and khakis made us think less of them.

Tony of OH 8:33AM September 13, 2011