Whether you’re preparing to start a career or looking to move in a new professional direction, beginning a job hunt can leave you confused and overwhelmed at times. Let us help you debunk seven myths often associated with job hunting and get you moving towards a new career.

1. COMMON
JOB HUNTING
MYTHS
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2. “Being unemployed puts
you at a tremendous
disadvantage when
you’re looking for a job”
Myth # 1:

3. Employers today understand there
are many reasons qualified workers
are unemployed. Downsizings, mergers,
and restructurings, etc.

4. “You should give
100% effort
to every job lead
you uncover”
Myth # 2:

5. This truism has a nice, inspirational ring
to it but if you follow it to the letter, you’re
going to burn out very quickly.

6. Be willing to investigate and pursue
every job lead that comes your way,
but you NEED TO PRIORITIZE.
Focus your effort on leads that are most
likely to result in an offer you would accept.

7. The number of leads you uncover isn’t
the only factor to finding the kind of job
you want. It’s the QUALITY of those
leads and your efforts that count.

8. “Finding a job is
harder than any job
you will ever have”
Myth # 3:

9. The hardest part is dealing with all
the pressures — psychological,
familial, and financial — that often
arise during the course of a job search.

10. The truth is, you don’t need innate
talent or highly specialized skills to
conduct a successful job search.
You simply need to do a lot of the things
you already know how to do in a focused,
disciplined, and systematic way.

11. “When you’re
unemployed, you
can’t afford to turn
down a job offer”
Myth # 4:

12. Depending upon any number of factors —
time, finances, sanity level — you may
have to accept a job offer that you’re not
really thrilled about. Don’t assume you
have to accept the first job you’re offered,
unless it’s absolutely necessary.

13. Temporary work or freelancing can help
keep the wolf away from your door and
allow you to keep your job search going
until you get an offer that makes sense.

14. “The only way to get
a good job in many
industries is to have
the right connections”
Myth # 5:

15. Having the right connections is an
enormous advantage in any business
endeavor. But a major part of conducting a
successful job hunt is making the connections
you need as your search progresses.

16. “Being good at
interviews is the
most important job
hunting skill”
Myth # 6:

17. The ability to make a strong, positive
impression is a valuable skill.
But before you can put those interviewing
skills to use, you have to know how to
convert job leads into interview opportunities.

18. “The only person you
can really depend on in
a job search is yourself”
Myth # 7:

19. You need plenty of help from friends,
family members, network contacts, and,
in some cases, recruiters and professional
career counselors.

20. Early on in your job search, you need
to figure out what help you need, how
to access that help, and how to show
your gratitude when you get it.

21. JUMP-START YOUR
JOB HUNT WITH THESE
FOR DUMMIES BOOKS:
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Content from Job Hunting for Dummies by Max Messmer. Learn more: http://bit.ly/JobHuntingFD