Is job search momentum ruined by inconsistency?

Your job search momentum is often slowed down by inconsistency. But that isn’t very different that what happens in other parts of our lives. Let me explain.

I visited my new doctor recently, mostly because my blood pressure pills were running out. As our conversation went on, I found myself repeating the same word over and over. He asked if I was tracking my blood pressure. I replied not consistently? The more we talked, I recognized that there are many more things I am not consistent in regularly doing.

Where else do I struggle with inconsistency?

Exercise – My doctor mentioned that best practice for exercise is 30 minutes per day 5 times a week. Again, I had to admit that though I exercise more than that some days, I am not consistent.
Tracking Fitness – I showed him my apps for fitness, MyFitnessPal and MapMyFitness, and he really liked them but I explained that I am not consistently recording my food or my exercise.
Blogging – though this blog is full of job search posts, my output for new content is a fraction of what it used to be. Mostly that is due to increased client volume, which is the result of blogging in the past and a very good thing but I want new clients in the future too so must keep writing and sharing.
Organizing – When my daily load gets bigger, I find it hard to keep up with organizing paperwork and filing things away. I have all the tools but just seem to run out of time.

Can inconsistency ruin your job search momentum?

Just like I struggle with inconsistency, I find that job seekers — both those who are unemployed and those who are ready to move on to a new role also struggle with inconsistency that affects their job search momentum.

Inconsistent (and generally inaccurate) resume strategies – Very often I find myself debunking the myths of job search: the one page resume, there’s only one way to write a resume, the content is just about where you worked, and many more. People are being taught erroneous information and strategies and even Google perpetuates the myths with lackluster resume samples that don’t come close to capturing the real information a job seeker should be sharing in their resume.
Tracking Accomplishments – Job seekers have good intentions to track their accomplishments but rarely make notes. Some people even struggle to know the dates of their past roles.
Understanding and Using Networking – To be consistent in networking, you have to be willing to be in a building mode. You can’t keep asking people to help you when you are not helping back.
Using LinkedIn – Many people put up a profile but they never complete it and then they wonder why it doesn’t generate any recruiter calls or even new connections.
Preparing for Interviews – Interviews are challenging for many people but often they don’t do any preparation to be ready for the interview.