The Worst Career & Job Search Advice You Have Ever Heard

I recently asked my LinkedIn followers to give me the worst job search advice they had ever heard. Boy, was there a lot. Many well-meaning people think their advice is helpful. Yet, some of the advice is outdated, based on a specific person’s situation, or nonsensical.

I would like to share a few of these gems.

Worst Career Advice

Maureen McCann, Job Search Expert: “Just put your head down and work hard." 

As she says, this implies that someone will pay attention to your hard work (an if) and reward you for it (a big if).

Allison Davidson, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist: “Stay at a job for at least a year no matter how bad it is…it makes your resume look bad." Her advice is when you start feeling uncomfortable in a job, it is time to start looking, even if it is immediately after taking the job.

This was something I heard early in my career. It was said that people would think that you are a job hopper if you were in a job for less than a year. Fortunately, most recruiters and hiring managers understand that sometimes a job is not a fit, and it is okay to move on. Likely, they have done the same thing at least once in their careers.

Paul Upton, Career Coach: “...craziest I got was to apply for every post you see and sending 100s or 1000s of applications will help you get more opportunities.” This advice will surely keep you busy, but it is so untargeted that you likely will be spinning your wheels. Kelli Hrivnak, Digital Marketing and Tech Recruiter, added, “The job search is a numbers game--emphasizing quantity over quality. Every squirrel finds a nut, but I spray and pray isn't how I would want to spend my time in an intentional job search.”

Steph Gillies, Personal Branding Expert: “...what you go to school for determines your career path for the rest of your life. I felt such a huge weight to choose that first "career", like re-defining myself later in life wasn't possible!”

Your career is going to be 40 or so years. Don’t let your decisions in your teens and early 20s define it. While initially starting my career aligned with my college major, Economics, I quickly pivoted into another field that better suited me.

Michelle Matthews, Job Search Expert: “As long as the pay is good, the job is good.” 

There is a reason there is the term “golden handcuffs.” Some well-paying jobs require premium pay to get people to accept them.

Nora M. Kelly, Career Development Educator: “Advice often given to career changers and international applicants which ignores their prior skills and experience: Take whatever job you can get in the new industry "just to get your foot in the door."

I have seen it happen where that initial “foot in the door” means taking a job that is ill-suited for your strengths and skills or will not afford you any promotional opportunity. Only follow this advice if it makes strategic sense for your particular situation.

Worst Job Search Advice

Matt Tooker, Resume and LinkedIn Profile Writer: “Sign up for all the major job boards and post your resume.” 

Matt said he followed this advice, which set his job search back months because he gave up control of the job search. He said he should have been proactive and had conversations with hiring managers or people who could refer him to an organization.

David Hannan, Former Executive Search and Career Coach: "Don't worry too much about your LinkedIn profile; nobody looks at them anyway."

Gehan Haridy-Arandowski, HR Manager: “"Don't rely at all on LinkedIn, complete waste of time."

Many people have found new jobs through recruiter searches or being visible on LinkedIn. It is a great place to research companies and people and find members open to information interviews in your profession or industry.

Sharon Hamersley, Job, Search, Career, and LinkedIn Coach: “Apply to every job that you are even remotely qualified for.” Neil Barker, a Technical Recruiter, said he sees this for the openings he is looking to fill, which is not helpful to the candidate. Employers are looking for specific skills and experience. If you don’t have them, the employer will keep the position open until they find someone who does.

This doesn’t mean you must have all the requirements to apply. You need to have a good percentage of them, 60-70%, and all the most important ones.

Amy Turconi, Resume Writer: “You can’t prepare for an interview.”  

As she says, the recruiter can tell the difference between someone that is prepared and those that are not. Preparing is knowing something about the company and understanding what the role is about.

Paul L. Rainey, Senior Career Coordinator for Graduate Student Career Services: “...include things like ACT scores and the like rather than projects or experiences that demonstrated that person's skills.” 

The only time he felt an ACT or GRE score might be included if applying to large consulting firms. Otherwise, no one wants to see it, but they DO want to see what you have done in a work or school experience.

Paula Christensen, Resume Writer and Interview Coach: “The one-page advice is my answer too…Why should someone with 20+ years worth of accomplishments (or even a new grad with three internships, a job, and degree-program projects) be relegated to one page?

You may hear that you need a one-page resume. While recruiters and hiring managers will always prefer a shorter resume (less to read), you should write a resume to showcase your most important achievements. If that takes two-page, then so be it.

Sara Timm, Resume and LinkedIn Profile Writer: “Send the same resume to 50 different job openings.” 

Tailoring your resume to each job will get you better results because many people don’t, and you can address the specific needs of that employer.

Tiarna Anderson, ESG Analyst: “Call the company you want to work for until they relent and give you the job." I hate this advice. It's steeped in disrespecting boundaries.”

Do you want to make an enemy at an employer? Be a pest. No one likes to be hounded constantly.

Conclusion

There is a lot of lousy career and job search advice out there. Vet who is giving you this advice and where it is coming from. If the person doesn’t know, or it is only one person's experience, it pays to be skeptical.

Shelley Piedmont is a job search coach. She wants to help job seekers put their best foot forward by providing the tools for a successful job search. If you need career coaching, resume preparation, interview skills assessment, or LinkedIn profile assistance, she can help. Schedule a 15-minute no-obligation consultation.