With the new year upon us, I think it’s traditional for all of us to examine our lives — and our daily routines/habits — and determine if there might be some new routines we want to adopt, going forward, to improve our happiness and success. Career advancement is no exception to this rule, in my opinion. And one of the most important things job hunters can do is to question and let go of certain “assumptions” about the process that might be holding them back.
On this note, here’s are seven common assumptions I see many job hunters engaging in that can limit their success:
1) Assuming your current job hunt will be similar to your last one. Even if you haven’t had too much trouble finding work in the past, it’s always best not to underestimate the job search process if you find yourself facing the need to make a fresh transition. Not only might your success be significantly affected by changing industry trends and economic conditions, but if you haven’t looked for a job in many years – and are therefore older and/or potentially seeking a higher-level role – you might find the competition level a bit stiffer than you recall. So as with most important challenges in life, bear down and take the process seriously, right out of the gate. It’s better to overperform and end up pleasantly surprised by how fast you find something than to assume the opposite and end up playing a ferocious game of catch-up, down the road.
2) Assuming only certain networking contacts can help you. Given that the average U.S. adult has over 500 personal relationships, it makes little sense to only notify a handful of people about your job availability. As LinkedIn and other tools have shown us, people are far more interconnected than most of us realize, so try not to make assumptions up front about who you think might be able to help you – and who might not. Instead, think opportunistically and get the word out far and wide to as many people as possible so that the magic of networking can do its thing. And if you need more information on how to go about the process effectively, and drive referrals, don’t hesitate to check out many of the additional articles I’ve written on the subject here.
3) Assuming you’ve already heard of your next employer. If you live in any major metro area such as Seattle, you’re literally bobbing in a sea of career opportunity. You just may not realize it. With over 200,000 companies in the LinkedIn database alone for Seattle (again, using it as an example), it’s statistically likely that you won’t end up at a household-name company (e.g. Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Starbucks, Gates Foundation) in your next move and that you’ll find your home with a small-to-mid-size firm, instead. So no worries if you still want to aggressively pursue the largest companies in town, but make sure to do your research and expand your horizons to include tons of lesser-known players, as well. They’re far less competitive to break into and according to many people, can often be far better places to work!
4) Assuming you’ll make more money in your next move. While this one always serves as a wake-up call, one shouldn’t necesarily assume that they’ll have a continually increasing salary throughout their whole career. Not only are there many cases where taking a pay cut for the right reasons can make sense, and get you on a better trajectory for the future, but one also has to factor in prevailing market conditions and realize that in some fields, the salaries have levelled off quite a bit compared to what they paid in the past. So don’t get me wrong, there’s no shame in aiming high and trying to maximize your salary, but don’t immediately throw out opportunities that don’t represent a significant step forward, pay-wise. They might have hidden benefits or again, reflect the new reality of what a given career avenue pays today.
5) Assuming a recruiter will be able to place you somewhere. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing if we all had the power to hire an “agent” who would lift the burden of job hunting from us and set us up with a steady string of quality interviews? Alas, that’s simply not how the recruiting field works, as staffing consultants make their money finding candidates for employers — not the other way around. So be wary of any person or website suggesting they’ll “place you” for a fee (they’re usually scams) and learn the right ways (see articles here) for finding and engaging recruiters who might work in your particular field. While they definitely can generate some occasional leads for people in highly specialized fields (e.g. technologists, accountants, executives, engineers…) they’re far less likely to be able to make a match for recent graduates, career-changers, and/or “generalists” who aren’t long-time experts in a particular occupational field.
6) Assuming your resume stinks. When job hunters end up struggling, and not generating much traction in their search efforts, they almost inevitably blame their resume – and assume there must be something horribly wrong with it. In reality, this isn’t the case as often as you’d think. For many of the professionals I encounter, who are having trouble, their resume is actually in fairly decent shape. It’s either the unchangeable “facts” of their resume that are getting in their way (e.g. lack of a degree, job-hopping patterns, gaps in their work history, etc.) or simply that they’re relying too much on online advertisement submissions, versus networking and other job-creation methods outside of their comfort zone. So again, don’t automatically assume your resume is the culprit if you’re not hearing back from employers. Get a few people you trust to review it and share their feedback, and even more importantly, ponder the question of “what you’re doing with the resume” and see if you can engage in some more aggressive, high-volume outreach efforts using referrals and other methods.
7) Assuming you’ll interview well. Last but not least, while there are definitely some people who are naturally charismatic and skilled at self-promotion, many of the rest of us aren’t. What’s more, if you haven’t interviewed for many years, you might be a bit out of practice and also up against a higher level of competition than in your past searches. So if you’ve been working hard at finding a new role for weeks, or months, don’t automatically assume you’ll be “decent” and “do fine” at interviewing when the time comes. Take it seriously. Carve some time out to study modern interviewing methods, practice your responses, and ensure you can put your best foot forward when the time comes. Given all of the effort it can take to get there, and land a solid interview, don’t let a lack of preparation derail you when you reach the all-important finish line. For more tips on interviewing, feel free to check out our collection of advice here!
