As Oscar Wilde once said, “It is always a silly thing to give advice.” In the end, the advised will do what she wants. If you’re looking for advice in your job search, it’s important first to seek out sources you trust, and second to weigh the advice you receive and decide what’s right for your circumstances. Some advice, on the other hand, you would do better to ignore entirely, these little gems in particular:
1. Get Online and Stay There
Online is very safe. As a bonus, you can apply for jobs in your pajamas. It’s very cozy. No one’s going to pose questions or put you on the spot. Rejections come in tidy emails you can direct to the trash in a single click. I ask you this: does playing it safe sound like a great strategy for success? I say, if it doesn’t stir you to your core, it won’t get you far. The most you can bank on is an equal or lesser position than your previous one.
TIP: Get offline and on the phone. Try cold-calling. Try snail mail. Try knocking on doors. Think of the thing that scares you the most and do that.
2. Summaries Are For Kids
You remember your first resumé? The one that started with the heading, “to gain experience and save money for my upcoming Euro gap-year?” You probably took the tagline off after university thinking your job experience would speak for itself. Think again. You ability to wrap-up your experience in a few short phrases, summarize what you’ve done with it, why it’s important and what you intend to do in the future is incredibly pertinent.
REMEMBER: It’s your chance to tell the reader who you are without them having to read a three page cover letter. It could be the thing that motivates the employer to read that letter and keep you out of the trash pile for five more minutes.
3. All Your Experience Should Be On Display
That summer after Year Twelve when you scooped ice cream? It’s not pertinent anymore; not unless you’re applying for a position at Ben & Jerry’s. You resumé should be tailor made for each individual application. It should be concise and show off the experience that is most pertinent. Including every job you ever had makes your experience look scattered and inconsistent. Be careful about painting yourself a generalist rather than an expert.
TIP: Focus on a few key positions and detail the work you did that was relevant to the position for which you are applying.
4. Never Mention Money
A great piece of advice if you care nothing for money and assign no value to your work. Money is the primary reason most people go to work every day. Don’t pretend it isn’t important. Crafting a beautiful resumé and cover letter, being invited to an interview and attending four grueling follow-ups only to discover the employer is offering $20k less than you were expecting can be heartbreaking. It’s important to be clear upfront about your salary expectations. It shows how highly you value yourself and your work.
TIP: Show that you’re worth the investment. Wear your best clothes and a spritz or two of your fanciest cologne. Do your research. What is the going rate? If you’re asking for more, be prepared to argue your case.
About the Author
Amy Knapp is a business blogger based in Sydney, AUS, writing regularly for InsideTrak. Educated in Law and the Fine Arts, her work champions the marriage of the creative and the corporate. Follow her on Twitter @JoyofWords.
