Six pieces of job searching advice on the internet that are actually lies

If you google “job searching advice” on the internet, at least a hundred articles will pop up offering the “best” advice for job seekers. But are all these articles telling you the truth? Most of the time, the answer is a strong “No.”

Here are some pieces of bad job search advice that you may have heard before:

Go for the highest-paying job

While compensation is a huge factor that affects your decision about a new job, it should not be the sole element that you consider. There are many things that you must consider before accepting a job offer such as the pay, voluntary benefits, company culture, and flexibility of schedule, among others. Sometimes, choosing the job with more potential satisfaction is the best choice for you in the long run.

Take a job for the moment, even if you don’t want it

Conducting a job search while you are unemployed can be the most difficult thing ever. When you are desperate to score a job, sometimes you may feel like accepting the first offer that comes your way, even if it is not related to what you want to achieve through your career. However, it is always better to wait for something that aligns with your career goals than make an impulsive decision out of desperation.

You can wing it at the interview

No, you absolutely cannot. While you may be a total pro in the field and ooze with charisma that gets interviewers to like you all the time, you must never go for an interview unprepared. Always do your research on the job and the company before you attend an interview. Practice your answers to common interview questions. Prepare a list of questions of your own to ask the interviewer at the end of the interview.

Gloss over career gaps

You shouldn’t try to mask the career gaps on your resume just to land a job interview. Due to the effect of the COVID pandemic on the job market, employers are more open and empathetic toward individuals with career gaps and short-lived jobs on their resumes. If you have had an employment gap, simply list it on your resume and provide a brief description of it.

Write a detailed resume of your whole career

Your resume does not need to mention every single job you have had in the past. Your experience as a tour operator in an amusement park ten years ago will add zero value to your resume when you are applying for a healthcare position. Be strategic about the details you include on your resume. Tailor your resume to the job description every time you apply for a new job. Add only the professional experiences and skills that are related to your new job to your resume.

Keep your resume below one page

There is no such thing as a one-page resume. If you are writing a recent college grad resume or a resume for a career change, you may have less experience to include in your resume. In such cases, it is fine to use a one-page resume for your job applications. If you have had a long and rich career and have a lot of related qualifications to add to your resume, you do not have to lose valuable content trying to keep your resume down to one page. In such cases, let your resume spread to a second or third page while being concise.