8 MYTHS ABOUT JOB HUNTING
Bernard Haldane Associates
MYTH 1 - If you can't find the right job, it doesn't exist.
A typical - but inaccurate - conclusion drawn by frustrated job hunters.
According to studies by a major foundation and the Federal Employment Service
in California, over 85% of job vacancies are not available through traditional
resources like newspaper ads, civil service notices, federal or state employment
agencies, private agencies or search firms. Nevertheless, there are millions
of professional and executive job opportunities. A recent survey by the
National Federation of Independent Business revealed that small businesses
alone had one million available positions.
MYTH 2 - Most people know how to conduct a job hunt.
Most people job hunt by sending out resumes, the most common - and ineffective
- method. Standard resumes produce one inquiry for every 85 resumes a company
receives, yet only half of the inquiries results in an interview. That's
only one interview for every 170 resumes. The average company conducts 10
interviews before making a single offer; that's only one offer for every
1,700 resumes received. The bottom line - 1,699 resume senders are rejected
for every one person offered a job.
MYTH 3 - Employment agencies have plenty of jobs.
It's a startling fact: less than 7% of all professional, managerial and
executive opportunities are ever listed with agencies. What's more, surveys
reveal that the average agency will see only 1 out of every 20 individuals
who contact them. The others don't match their active job list.
MYTH 4 - Employment agencies market job hunters to companies.
Once upon a time, that might have been true. But today's agencies are in
the business of filling vacant positions for companies. There's a big difference!
Companies buy loyalty by paying commissions to employment agencies. So,
rather than marketing job hunters to companies, agencies try to fit
individuals into well defined vacant positions.
MYTH 5 - The 'want ads' are where to look for jobs.
Millions of job hunters shop the local classifieds every day without realizing
that each ad for professional and executive openings draw from 200 to 500
applicants. And for most jobs, there will always be someone who sounds better
than you. Besides, jobs advertised in papers today account for less than
3% of the jobs out there.
MYTH 6 - Employers have all the power.
It's true they have the power to hire and fire, but you have the power of
choice. Many job hunters postpone effective job screening until after they're
hired, find out their jobs aren't what they hoped, and end up quitting.
With hiring costs escalating across all industries it's important to remember
that employers need good people as much as you need them.
MYTH 7 - The higher up you go, the more secure your job will be.
Things just don't work that way. More than 500,000 middle managers and senior
executives got the ax in the past decade. According to Business Week, the
chances are 1 in 3 that you'll lose your job, and those odds increase as
you move up the ladder.
MYTH 8 - The best-qualified people get the best jobs.
Not necessarily. The people who get the best jobs are the ones who know
how to get hired then put their knowledge and skill to work.
WHAT NEXT?
We've got several handy FREE tips for your job
search, plus some contact information.
[Job Hunting Tips] [Northern
California Offices] [Other Offices]
(c) 1998 Bernard Haldane Associates and Career Marketing, Inc. To make
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