"The Seven Deadly Sins of Job Seekers"

I recently attended a PRSSA lecture at UVU, where local businessman and PR guru, David Politis, spoke about the seven deadly sins and intertwined them with how those sins are preventing some of the 19 million unemployed Americans from finding work. Politis also revealed 7 steps geared to help communication graduates land a job in this economic distressed economy.

According to Politis, 10 million Americans are unemployed and registered with the gov. and are actively looking for work. 5 million are unemployed, yet not registered while looking for work. 4 million Americans are so frustrated with the economy that they have given up on the search for work. Here are 7 job seeking sins to avoid:

1) LUST- People who belong to this category would be those who are overly passionate, or crave to obtain just one idealistic job. They will likely pass up other great opportunities along the way.

2) GLUTTONY- Doing too much of one thing could get you into trouble, because it will make you "a mile wide, but only an inch deep." For example a student overloading a schedule by taking too many classes to graduate early could lack social skills, due to the fact that they spend all of their college years studying. This also leaves little to no time for other activities and become well rounded.

3) GREED- Money is not evil; however, the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Be sure to take the right job and not pass up job offers, because you're waiting for a higher paying offer.

4) SLOTH- Sitting around and playing video games, or doing nothing productive all day. People often become discouraged from searching for jobs, because of FEAR. False Evidence that Appears Real. They flip on the tv and see how bad things are and will believe what they hear.

5/6) WRATH/ENVY- These two sins are combined, because they are closely related. In short, wasted effort. Focus your efforts and maximize your time and energy.

7) PRIDE- There needs to be a balance. Self confidence is great, but don't let it get in the way of your goals. Are you too good? Pride can derail you when you are too confident and don't rely on any outside criticism.

Luckily there is hope for those who may be suffering with any of the deadly sins above. David Politis mentioned 7 helpful skills for public relation students/graduates to posses in order to remain marketable in todays economy.

1) READ- Reading allows you to continually learn and further your knowledge. It doesn't matter if you read newspapers, or novel books. Just read! Don't be static. It's vital to continually be up-to-date with what is happening in the world.

2) CREATE- Create events which you can invite others to. Facebook events if a good way to put together events and publicize the event. Also creating a LinkedIn, Twitter, Youtube, Flickr, and Photobuck accounts are useful to have when creating, because it allows you to create and produce your work.

3) WRITE- Write! Writing includes blogging, twittering, and writing posts on your facebook wall. Actively writing shows that you can think. Blogs should be specific and opinion based. Be careful with what you write. Anyone can be googled these days. You don't want negative comments popping up about you that could potentially ruin your personal identity called personal branding.

4) VOLUNTEER- Be involved with the community. Help where needed. This allows you to be active. You could volunteer to write press releases for the American Red Cross. I have been doing a good job with this category. I volunteer weekly as a mediator at the Orem Small Claims court, and I love doing it. This shows that you are actively engaged, which aids your continual education.

5) HAVE A PORTFOLIO- Compile your work and put it together in a folder, or digital folder that can be presentable to a future employer. This folder contains a history of your professional work.

6) INTERNSHIPS- Notice that Internship has become plural. Don't quit after doing just one.

7) ONE-TO-ONE not ONE-TOO-MANY- This refers to person-to-person communication being more effective, rather than always communicating with a group of people at the same time about broadening your potential employment opportunities. The quality over quantity rule applies here.

I think that all of these steps are very useful. It's easy to become distracted from the things that are of real importance. I also think that being aware of "Personal Branding" fits into the overall appearance you're trying to put out there for future employers. People need to be aware of Personal Branding, because it exists whether you want it to or not. Personal branding is a bit like fashion. Whether you know it or not, you've got a unique sense of style that the whole world can see- thanks to the internet. The more you put yourself out there, the more you will be seen. Just be sure to put yourself out there in a positive light with all that you do that involves social media.