Success:

1. The Hot Candidates, as a recruiter we call these candidates A candidates. They know what they want or at least know were the want to go.

2. The "Iffy" Candidate, this candidate is a person who isn’t sure what he or she wants to do with their life. What keeps them from falling into the looser category is that they keep the options open. They watch for a good opportunity, and take advantage of it when it comes along.  Even though they are not sure of their ultimate goal they are astute enough to watch for and evaluate potential opportunities in their life. 

3. The loser -  I know that you are thinking that this is maybe too strong a term.  But the people that fall into this category are not interested in taking advantage of the opportunities life provides them.  They are the people who immediately say to a recruiter "I am not interested in making a change and don't want to even hear about anything new."   Maybe they are scared of change, or think that life couldn't get better, regardless they shut the "outside" world out, and can't even make a good decision not to move because they don't compare what they have to what they might have.

***Don’t misunderstand I am not saying that you are a looser if you won’t make a job change; on the contrary, making a job change is a very serious thing. Take it too lightly and you will also end up in this category. Why I call those people losers is very simple - they have no vision, no plan for the future, and they have closed their mind to opportunity.  To me it is the worst category you could fall into.

4. The Job Hopper - This type of person is the opposite of the loser.  He or she never feel they have it good enough.  They are always looking for new positions, and not focusing on their career.  Looking at their resume and you will see a series of 1 to 2 year stays with companies.  This type of candidate ultimately gets stuck in a job that may not be the best because they have taken changing jobs to lightly and when a potential employer looks at them they will not take the risk of having them leave their company so quickly.

They way to avoid falling into any career traps, is:

Have a basic career plan.

1) Review it regularly

2) Keep it flexible enough to take advantage of opportunities

3) Focus on where you want to get too, and consider every opportunity that might help you get there.

4) Evaluate al the factors.  Do you need more education, etc...

5) If you have a specific level or position that you ultimately want, look at the people in it currently.  What have they done, What kind of education and background do they have, How could you get those same experiences, and how can you improve on it.

Plan your future.  Your career is a large part of the "big" picture in life.  Set goals and make a plan to reach those goals.   Keep your eyes open, and take advantage of opportunities that may help you to achieve your goals, even if they don't fit your original plan of how to reach your goal.