Top 10 Job Search Myths That Are Holding You Back

Top 10 Job Search Myths That Are Holding You Back Bacho Foto Fotolia.com A job search is challenging enough, without buying into these common myths that can derail you before you even start! List Of The Top 10 Job Search Myths December is a bad month for hiring. This is a complete fallacy. December is one of the best three months to find a job, along with July and August. Why? On December 1st, 70% of your fellow job searchers will fall out of the job market, buying into this myth that the hiring process will be winding down. This greatly increases your chances of securing an interview. In my experience, the people who stick it out in December, July and August do land a job and a lot faster. Yes, some people are on vacation, but many hiring managers still have jobs to fill. Theres no point in networking during the holidays. This is actually the perfect time, because there is so much going on. You may attend your spouses company party, community get-togethers, special services or events, school concerts and ceremonies endless opportunities to connect or reconnect with people who may lead to your next ideal executive appointment. Between the reduced competition and increased access to people, the holiday season is open season for job search. Youre too old to get a new job. Being older used to inhibit you in a job search, but no longer. The population is aging, and a high level of baby boomers are retiring. Therefore there is space in the market, which you can capture with the correct job search methods and persistence. What I do in my online life is personal and doesnt impact my career. Personal and professional go hand in hand now, especially when it comes to what you do online. Everything you post is available to your future boss or other decision makers, as much as you may try to keep things private. Closely monitor your own digital dirt and be acutely aware of what youre posting online. Remember that even your personal contacts can easily become professional referral sources. There arent any jobs available right now. If you look on the job boards, there may not be, but if you expand your horizons and go networking, you can access jobs that were never even listed. In fact here in Canada, almost 80% of jobs are won through networking and are never posted. I havent heard back, so I didnt get the job. Dont give up too quickly! Advertised jobs generally have a 21- or 28-day run. After that, it may be up to a week before the decision makers start calling applicants. You have to be patient and let that period run its course. Instant gratification is not part of the job search process. The more resumes I send out, the more offers Ill get. In my professional opinion and experience, youll get far better results sending 10 targeted resumes, then you will from sending 100 random ones. Sure, some of those may get you interviews, but likely not for jobs at your level. The most qualified person will get the job. That used to be true, but its not actually the case today. What hiring decision makers also look for now is a match to corporate culture. So even if you dont have all the qualifications and attributes on the list, if youll fit well in the company culture you can still be hired even if youre not 100% qualified. Theyre keeping my resume on file for another possible opportunity. You may hear that when youve been rejected for a job, but dont take it literally. Even if a very similar position comes available almost immediately, dont assume theyll pull out your resume and add it to the pile. You do actually need to apply again. Your resume should only be one or two pages long. Here in Canada, this is not true. If youve got 20+ years experience and youre at the senior executive level, you can easily spread to a three-page resume in order to tell your career story without compromising your candidacy. Tip: Be sure to fill all of the pages half-pages lead to doubts that you didnt have enough merit to fill the page with high-caliber content. If youve been letting any of these myths slow down your executive career search, now is the time to ramp back up and get moving again. Good luck!