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3 Job Search Beliefs You May Be Wrong About

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Job searching is an activity which often takes place alone – all you have is your laptop, your bathrobe, and that voice in your head. When it comes to searching for jobs, there is a good chance the voice is telling you at least three things incorrectly. Here are three beliefs you probably have wrong and how they could be hindering your job search.

working on laptop

(Photo Credit: Nick V/Flickr)

1. I am so qualified for this job. Game over.

Do You Know What You're Worth?

It isn’t outlandish to read a job description and automatically think, “This job was created for me.” In fact, if you think about it, you’ve probably read lots of job descriptions and thought, based on the requested qualifications, you were obviously the person for the job. Unfortunately, there are many applicants which often match those qualifications, whose inner voices are telling them the exact thing. Often times, we apply for these jobs and then rest on our laurels, expecting to get the call in the next five minutes, but instead should be thinking of a way to stand out above the other applicants.

2. I need to stand out. I should send a scented resume.

Speaking of standing out, unless you are applying for a job which requires a great deal of creativity, hiring managers are rarely interested in gimmicky methods of standing out and frankly, don’t have the time for it. You want to stand out, but you don’t want to be clown-in-the-church, standing out. Instead, focus on creating a great cover and resume and those qualifications, skills, and results that place you above the others, and concentrate on the elements that only you can bring to the position.

3. I haven’t heard from them in two days. I will remind them to call me.

The hiring process can be short except when it’s long and most of the time, it’s long. You may have received a message saying you’ll hear from them “shortly” but “shortly” is a rather broad term often used intentionally because no one really knows exactly when. It does not mean you are guaranteed a reply, nor does it mean you have an automatic interview. It is generally not a good idea to follow up to remind the prospective employer that they said they’d reply shortly. If you suspect that your contact information was lost or you were unable to be reached, at least wait a month or two before following up.

Tell Us What You Think

Have you told yourself these things while job searching? We want to hear from you! Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter.

Christina Majaski
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