Job Search Tips That Are No Longer Relevant

As the job market has progressed, so too have the means of job hunting and landing the career or position you want. So, if you are trying to find a job, avoid the following job search tips that are no longer relevant.

1.     Pray and Spray Applications

In the past, finding a job was almost purely a numbers game. In fact, if you ask a parent, he or she may still think the right way to apply for jobs is to march all over town and deposit your resume with every office receptionist you find. If you take that approach, you are likely only to be rewarded with blistered feet. While you certainly may need to apply to several different positions, you are more likely to get hired by distributing several tailored resumes, instead of many cookie-cutter resumes ill-suited to the employer or position you are applying to. Basically, today’s applicants need to get created and tailor their resumes to the jobs they are applying for.

2.     Single-Page Resumes

Another often repeated, yet outdated and irrelevant piece of job-hunting advice, is that your resume must be confined to a single page. Some say that if your resume is any longer, it will automatically find itself in the discard pile. That is no longer true. It should come as no surprise that if your resume takes up two pages because you have lots of pertinent information and experiences that bear directly on the job, that can only work in your favor.

3.     You Must be Completely Qualified

Many job applicants get disheartened when they read an application and see they do not have all of the qualifications mentioned therein. For example, they may be short a couple years of work experience or obtained a different degree in college than what is asked for. Not meeting every single requirement should not discourage anyone from applying.

4.     Employers only care about hard skills and your GPA

Many of us were taught from an early age, or at some college orientation, that only those in the top-ten percent of their class get the best jobs. Others will say that only certain degrees are employable, and without the necessary hard skills, you cannot get a high-paying job or pursue a meaningful career. But that could not be further from the truth. More and more employers are taking a wholistic approach in the hiring process. Admittedly, some professions still only search for those candidates with the highest grades, but such professions and employers are in the minority. These days, most employers want a well-rounded employee who possesses both hard and soft skills and has the right personality to fit the company’s culture.

5.     Sell Yourself in the Interview

If we are being completely honest, few people like to constantly sell themselves.  Even fewer like being sold to.  Rather than boring your recruiter or interviewer with a well-polished monologue explaining why you are the greatest person to ever sit in front of them, focus instead on learning how to be an active listener and engaging in productive dialogue with the person interviewing you. Learning interview skills like the STAR Method will help you stand out and impress your potential employer far more than reciting all of your qualifications.  This approach shows you are intelligent and capable, which is far more credible than just saying you are.

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