Feelings of angst and urgency often define job search, even for employed careerists.

Whatever the reason for your desire to change positions–a bad boss, a recent acquisition or you simply hate your job–when driven by these feelings, you may lose sight of best practices for career management. In doing so, you rush ahead hoping the finish line will reveal itself if only you press hard and fast.

However, you quickly will find speed is not your friend, especially if you haven’t taken time to clarify where you want to go. As a result, you may end up at the same place you started, or worse.

Following are three top ways rushing your job search can derail your results:

1. Your career portfolio is outdated. Because you have rushed the process, you don’t have an updated resume or LinkedIn profile when the first interview opportunity opens up.

Your slapped-together document is dripping with clichés, and your unique value is nowhere to be found. Even if a friend referred you, the resume may very well be the deciding factor for the senior manager or board member up the line reviewing your resume.

2. Your interview skills are rusty. When the “tell me about yourself” question arises, you enter into a 5-minute long diatribe that describes in detail your most recent projects, but fails to connect the dots as to why that experience has relevance to their needs.

3. You aren’t emotionally prepared for the change. By rushing into the process, you haven’t taken the time to be introspective. A period of self-reflection will point you and your career conversations in the right direction.