MBA Careers

Top-Ten Job Hunting Fallacies

1. Your friends, acquaintances and networking contacts know who you are and what you want. Not true! You need to be very clear with them as to your experiences, what you are looking for and what you would like them to do for you.

2. People will do what they say. Although most people have good intentions, they don't always follow through on what was discussed with you. You will need to remind them of their promises without being pushy.

3. Wing it! It's always better to have structure to your search. You should analyze the situation and then develop a course of action.

4. Executive search firms and employment agencies are the best avenue to a new job. Not true! They represent a couple of sources you should consider, but not at the exclusion of other resources. Search firms work for their clients, not for you. Remember, networking is how most professionals get their jobs.

5. Ads are an effective way to conduct a job hunt. Wrong. Similar to search firms, this should be included as one of several resources in your job search but a very small percentage of MBA's will find jobs from ads. Keep in mind that many positions are never advertised or put out to search.

6. Those few hot leads will pan out. Unfortunately, these usually do not pan out. The most promising networking conversation may lead nowhere. At the same time, the most unlikely contact may lead you to a golden opportunity.

7. Rejection is aimed at you personally. This is perhaps the toughest part of the job search. Try to view yourself as a "product" for the purposes of the job search. This is an effective way to depersonalize the rejection.

8. It's okay to have an unclear job focus. It's important that you have focus and that you believe that this will not limit your opportunities. It is all right to change your approach based on whom the customer is you are trying to attract to your product (you).

9. Let's talk money first. Try not to discuss salary until the employer has decided that you are the right person for their team. At this point, you will have more leverage in attaining your goals in this area.

10. The "I'm too old" syndrome. Try not to accentuate age, but instead focus on the rich skills and experiences you bring to the table. It's too easy to blame your age for lack of success in the job search process.

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