5 Common Misconceptions About the Job Search and Being Successful

Depending on your field or degree, landing a job could be extremely difficult, and the process of getting a stable gig can throw all types of surprises your way. 

A lot of these challenges come because the process bucks our expectations of the job market which are often shaped by many of the misconceptions floating around out there. 

Generations have changed, and the corporate world moves a lot faster than it did 20 years ago. Nowadays, you have to constantly evolve and stay on top of your field in order to secure yourself employment for the next few years.

Here are 5 misconceptions about employment that you need to forget while charting your career path. 

You Can Stay at the Same Company for Many Years

Maybe in Grandpa’s day this statement rang true, but in today’s corporate America companies are constantly restructuring, cutting the budgets, and even closing up shop causing massive layoffs.

 It would be foolish for any employee to assume that they are immune to these uncontrollable factors. There are surefire signs of a company that is about to cut people or go out of business which I covered in a previous article. Aside from looking for the signs, you should always keep your resume updated, and your interview skills sharp. You never know when your company might decide that your position is no longer needed. 

Your Resume Accolades Are Super Important

Resumes these days have been reduced to a collection of keywords that may or may not land in front of the employer depending on how tech savvy you are. Most of the time employers don’t even look that hard at your resume and rely on you to explain your accomplishments and experience. 

If you think a good resume will get you a job you are sadly mistaken. The interview process, plus luck, plus the rare chance that the 5 people you interviewed with all like you truly determines whether or not you will land the gig. As long as someone has the right keywords in their resume and ace the interview, they have a better chance of getting the job than someone with a stellar resume and horrible interpersonal skills.

Working Hard Helps You Climb Corporate Ladder

While in a perfect world this statement would be true, our very broken system corrupts this notion. Working hard and doing the right thing will show integrity and make some of your co-workers respect you, but it will not necessarily get you the promotion you wanted. 

There are insecure bosses who don’t like their subordinates working hard because they fear losing their position to them. They might end up sabotaging you for doing the right thing. There are also lazy co-workers who hate the fact that you are outperforming them and might give you a hard time. 

Also, climbing the corporate ladder is more of a popularity contest then a merit-based achievement. I recommend getting to know the company culture before spending late hours in the office trying to impress your boss. You should always work hard, but it’s more important to work smart and be attentive to the needs of the people around you without rubbing the higher ups the wrong way. 

College Will Get You Job 

This has to be one of the biggest misconceptions out there when it comes to starting a career. College really doesn’t do much for you because most companies are looking for experience. 

Sure, there are entry level roles that only require a degree, but these seem a little more rare these days. It sometimes takes years to land your first full-time gig out of college. There are some fields of study that will increase your chances of getting a job, and masters degrees certainly don’t hurt, but the common person with a bachelor degree will have to be put through the wringer to land that first gig. 

There are also plenty fields of study that will probably never help you get a job. I will cover lucrative and non-lucrative fields in one of my next articles. 

You Need to Love What You Do All the Time

No one likes to work. Even people who are in their dream jobs get tired of the menial repetitive tasks that they must carry out on a daily basis. 

Singers and sports players end up hating the teams and record labels they are signed to. Actors get tired of starring in the same kind of movie over and over again. Rappers get tired of performing their hit single at every show. 

No field is immune to work’s curse of mediocrity. You should have some sort of vested interest in what you do for a living, but that doesn’t mean it’s always going to bring you an incredible amount of joy. Work is grueling at times, but also rewarding and gives everyone a sense of purpose.