New year is all about new opportunities and new challenges! To help you ease your job search Your HR Buddy is pleased to present job search insights from one of the dominant voices in the HR/Recruiting space – Art Papas, CEO of Bullhorn

New Year, New Job? – The Dos and Don’ts for Your Job Search

Job candidates everywhere know the sound of silence – the torture of not knowing whether you’re even being considered for an interview. A lack of response can at times be attributed to overwhelmed recruiters and hiring managers, but most often job candidates are not a fit for the positions for which they are applying. Being cognizant of the job-hunting dos and don’ts can positively impact a candidate’s chance of landing their dream job.

Now, let’s get started with the things to avoid in your job search:

Don’t apply for a job if you’re not qualified

Thirty percent of recruiters say their biggest turnoff was candidates who apply to jobs for which they are clearly unqualified. It’s great to reach for the stars, but you don’t want to waste a recruiter’s time.

Don’t focus on salary above all other job factors

Money doesn’t rule everything around you. Fifteen percent of recruiters don’t want to work with candidates who think that salary is the most important factor in a new job.

Don’t call or email more than once a week for status updates

There’s a difference between following up to provide additional information and insight, and turning into Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. Eleven percent of recruiters do not want to hear from candidates that often. It borders on stalking. Don’t do it.

Now that you know the things not to do during your job search, here are the steps you should take to increase the chances of landing your dream job:

Highlight past big-name employers on your resume

If you were likely drawn to that company because of their name, future employers will be too. Thirty-two percent of recruiters think the high-profile names of companies where a candidate worked previously could give them a leg up.

Use your connections

Is it all about who you know? Not exactly, but it helps. Twenty-nine percent of recruiters think being referred by a friend or colleague for a job carries a lot of weight.

Make sure your dates add up

If dates of employment and education don’t line up properly on a candidate’s resume, 89 percent of recruiters will assume he or she was unemployed during those gaps. Forty-seven percent of recruiters associate the title “self-employed” with being unemployed. And 42 percent of recruiters think that “independent consultants” are actually unemployed.

Now that you are armed with the dos and don’ts for job searching, you could be just one interview away from landing your dream job. Good luck!

Art Papas is the founder and CEO of Bullhorn, the global leader in recruiting software. The survey referenced was conducted between August 23 and August 28, 2012 and including responses from 1,500 staffing recruiters, corporate recruiters, and hiring managers. You can connect with him on Twitter @Artpapas & on LinkedIn here