The job market has changed completely over the past decade or so. Unfortunately, as the job search trends changed, not all of the advice changed with it. These little pieces of advice might have worked well years ago, but today, they don't hold much value.
Here are 5 pieces of advice that you should ignore:
You have to use a landline if you're going to have a phone interview - These days, almost everyone has a cell phone. In fact, many people don't have landlines at all. This rule isn't set in stone. If you don't have a landline, make sure that you are in a location that gets good signal and is relatively quiet. If you have trouble with your cell signal, contact your cell provider and see if there is any thing they can do to help.
You have to list every job on your resume - A resume used to be a chronological listing of your job history. If you left one out, it was close to lying on your resume. These days, a resume is more of a marketing tool. You don't have to list all of your job experience, just the ones that are related or relevant to the job you are applying for. If the interviewer needs to have a complete history, they will let you know later in the application process.
Include an objective on your resume - This is a rule that I'm glad has changed. I always felt silly writing an objective on my resume, because obviously, I wanted that job. My objective should already be clear. The truth is that no one cares about them and they never help your cause. At best, they are a waste of space and at worst, they make it seems as though you are applying to every job you see.
Buy good paper for your resume - It used to be important to print out copies of your resume on high quality paper. This was so that when you mailed your resume and cover letter, it would make a great impression. Today, most resumes are emailed, so it doesn't matter. If you do submit a paper copy of your resume, be sure to add links or even a QR code that tracks users directly to a digital version of the document. The paper quality doesn't matter, but consider making it simple for someone to forward your resume, even if they received it on paper.
Include "references on request" - Of course you will provide references if they ask you to. Who wouldn't? Feel free to leave this part out. Also, don't list references on your digital resume. There are many sites where you can post your resume or use it as part of your profile. Just like you wouldn't want to post your name and phone number on the internet, the people you use as references may not like it either. The best thing to do is to just leave out the references entirely, and provide them during the interview instead.
Hopefully, these pieces of job advice will disappear, but until then, feel free to ignore them as much as possible.
5 Pieces of Job Advice You Should Ignore
-
Nancy C •I am glad I read this today...This might have been the norm about 15 years ago but with so many technology advancements and time limitations this is great to know. -
Mikie M •Thanks for the update, it keeps me current. I had heard about the objective and listing every job on the resume but not the good paper for your resume and references on request. I won't be embarrassed now.
-
Deborah S •If you are applying for a specific job you don't need an objective but if you are applying to an employer who has no openings and you are asking to be considered for future openings you have to let them know what kind of job you are looking for.
-
Cynthia v •Yes, this is good advice on resume's. Thank-you!
-
Sunday O •I have always listed fewer jobs than I have. It makes sense to list of them
-
William K •Good advice
-
Stacy N •This applies to our "new" real world.
-
Larry R •As long as employers feel free to ignore federal statutes against age discrimination, no matter how good everything one does in terms of the job hunt doesn't really matter.
-
Pat E •Good job
-
Debbie A •Very helpful ideas. I would like to comment on companies that request your references up front. I personally don't like to list them that early in the process because it gives the prospective employer the opportunity to check references first and then decide if they want to pursue the next steps. I work with job placement of college grads and this often comes up with my clients. Any thoughts on this?
-
CYNTHIA M •I recently had my resume reviewed by the State of Ohio Employment source where they highly recommended the use of an objective. This may vary from area to area, so I'm just guessing. We were taught to NEVER include references as part of the resume. What should a person do if they no longer have any references? No one ever addresses this.
-
Great pointers; however, it appears that most advisory sites forget (overlook) people that are more senior, highly skilled, accomplished, that just happen to be slightly older than the fresh faced MBAs. We had to join the military, USMC, and put our education on hold. No regrets there. Please remember that we still have many years of physical and intellectual life ahead of us. I would certainly appreciate your thoughts on this issue.
Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.
Register or sign in today!