Ghostbusters… Ahem… Job Search Myth-Busters

Every so often you hear about things that just make you wonder – are they really true? There are mass emails about typical household shampoos containing some magic ingredient that is so bad for you, we should all be dead. Or that you can cook eggs and make popcorn with two or three active cell phones.  Or that an average person needs to drink eight glasses of water per day to prevent chronic dehydration. The list goes on…

Well, workplace is no exception to myths, and neither are things surrounding the workplace, like… looking for one. So we decided to embark on a journey of demystifying, or, rather, demythifying job search.

Cover letter is not important. Your job application, whether submitted on-line or sent via regular mail, is your first introduction to an employer. You should use this opportunity to make it as memorable and as attractive as possible. Use your cover letter to do additional marketing for you, emphasizing certain key points covered in your resume. Take a look at some of our previous posts dedicated to writing successful cover letters.

As long as you keep on sending applications, you will get the job. You could – and this is what you are hoping for by going through the motions. However, just the mere fact of sending out your resume and cover letter is not a guarantee of getting a job, or even an interview. You need to explore all possible venues, including networking, user groups, cold-calling, newspaper ads, online ads, etc. You should also monitor the progress and tweak your resume and cover letter, to represent you best for the jobs for which you are applying. Being active and pro-active is what does the trick.

Lowering salary expectations increases your chances. Times are changing. Economy is changing. What used to be a hot-selling item 10 years ago is no more. Personal computers that cost in the thousands in the 90s are now a bare commodity selling for under $300. Same goes for jobs. If employers are only willing to pay X, and you are still dreaming about Y that you used to make 5 years ago, you can keep on dreaming! It is better to have 50% of something than 100% of nothing. So adjust your requirements to be in line with what the market dictates. Be flexible! However, pricing yourself below everyone else will not get you through the door either. Remember, employers have budgets allocated to specific positions. And they are not bargain-hunting. As long as you are in the range, you are safe. Too pricey or too cheap, and they will not know what to do with you.

Headhunters Care About You. A headhunting agency is a brokerage firm. They introduce candidates to employers and receive commissions. Once the offer is made, there is no more need for the broker to stick around. After all, if anything, agents want to keep employers happy, since they are the paying customers, not candidates. Requirements for an open position do not change, and so, typically, a candidate will be molded to fit the job. Molding can be done from many angles: lower salary expectations, resume adjustments to exaggerate things that employer is looking for, forcing a candidate to interview and to accept, painting employer in rosy colors, putting pressure, etc. Remember, if the position is not filled by his own candidate, the broker has failed. This is not to say that there aren’t agencies that adhere to fair business practices, but these are few and far between.

There is a hidden jobs market. Well, if there was, somebody would eventually break the news to the rest of the world. Just imagine, a headhunting agency running the underground job ring! They would be so rich, they would become another Microsoft! In reality, many jobs do not hit the market at all. Some ads are placed online – by large companies, in the newspapers – by smaller companies. Some jobs are filled before they are even posted. But not all jobs – by far – are seen by the general public. The jobs are out there, they are just not advertised. It is up to you, the candidate, to do your due diligence, to use networking, and to be creative in finding these jobs.