The bad news is, jobseekers make career damaging mistakes every day. The good news is, most of these are easily prevented with a little effort if good habits are carefully practiced.

Avoid these common problems to optimize your job search:

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Being nice and polite is the real key to effective networking

I have been to more than a thousand networking events in my career, from meetings over coffee to large conventions, and there are few scenarios where you are limited to only 60 seconds to grab someone’s attention. If you are in the rare situation where your conversation will be limited, if you dominate the discussion regurgitating your elevator speech, it is unlikely to make a favorable impression any way. Like a relic from a bygone era, the elevator speech has outlived its usefulness.

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If you still think Twitter is a social media tool mainly used to discuss the details of your latest meal, think again. The Global Language Monitor selected Twitter as “Word of the Year,” above Obama and H1N1, to name a few. It has evolved into a sophisticated resource to network, manage your career, and find a new job using 140 characters or less. Before you sign up, here are a few pointers to guide you along.

Some do’s:

• Browse Twitter and read several streams to get a feel for what the community is like. Then decide what you want to accomplish – networking, job seeking, research, fun?
• Choose a professional screen name, whether it’s your first and last name, or one that captures your brand (like me for example: @Resume_Writer).
• Shoot for a 70%-30% business-personal tweet ratio, particularly when you are new. Remember, potential managers and customers will be reading your stream, so "think before you tweet.”
• Engage in interesting conversations, and offer advice to promote your expertise.
• Tweet with regularity and make sure your comments demonstrate your skills and interests. Try to set aside 15 minutes per day to establish a consistent presence.

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With all the focus on layoffs and unemployment rates, it is sometimes hard to remember that the majority of Americans are still employed. Implement the advice below to give yourself the best shot at keeping your job, and not being on the top of your manager’s downsizing list if your company restructures.

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