4 Advices To Ignore For Effective Job Searching

By Selipha Kihagi

If you are looking for a job, you probably have sought advice from the experts or superiors; those who are already accomplished and have a thing or two to say about what to do and what not to do when job hunting.

All this could be a good thing for you the job-seeker, but when you decide to take in all the career advice given without being careful which one will work best and which one will work against you then you might be job searching for a long time.

Not all advices will work for you as they did someone else. Remember professions are different and in the same way, companies are not the same; there are large corporations that will require years of experience and small companies that will not demand much.

So, what advices should you ignore?

1. “Apply to a job that you know will make you happy”
While it is a good thing to want to be happy at what you do and to love your job, this advice may not work to your advantage. Especially if you are a fresh graduate looking for a position that will give you the experience you want to advance in your career.

You will be at a better advantage if you choose to ignore this advice and instead apply to one that you are well qualified for.

2. “Tell your interviewer the exact salary you were earning in your previous job”
When you hear this advice, you are better off not acting on it. Being honest about your salary is as terrible as it gets. You might give a larger fee than what the employer is willing to give and kill your chances, or you might mention a smaller fee than the one budgeted for your position and end up suffering for it.

Entry level candidates, the latter is common. Do your research on how to answer the salary question to avoid being sorry.

3. “Keep your CV to 2 pages maximum”
If this is not a requirement in the job you are applying for, don’t let it become your application headache. If you have done a lot of volunteering or have several achievements, don’t shy away from listing it all down.

Employers are different and what is not liked by one may be impressive to another. But also, do not include unnecessary information and bore the recruiting firms or employers.

4. “Apply to every job related to your field, even those with more experience. You never know”
This advice is more likely to lead you into depression than give you a job. Requirements are set for a particular reason and if you keep making applications for jobs you are not qualified for, you’ll keep getting nothing for a reply.

The job searching process can be very frustrating, but it does not have to be. Have a strategy that will work.