The Myths of the Current Job Search Market

Unfortunately, there is a tremendous amount of bad information about finding a job floating around in the universe. This Tutorial dispels the current myths of the job search market. It is the Stockdale paradox applied to the job search.

I’ve been finding people jobs since 1973. I’ve heard just about every cockamamie, ill-founded, ridiculous idea about how to find a job. There was a theory, for instance, a few years ago that said you would be out of work one month for every $10,000 in earnings you had. One of today’s theories is that the way to find a job is by networking. A recent “Career Coach” was advising people that they should begin an interview by telling the hiring authority that they “... weren’t really looking for a job, but thought it would be a good idea to come by and share information.” Oh, brother!

In this Tutorial, I discuss 29 myths of today’s job search market. This is a refreshing dose of reality. You may not like all you hear, but you can take it to the bank! Most people don’t look for a job very often. They think “this time” is like “last time.” These markets change. Reality in the 1990’s and early 2000’s was different than today. This tutorial reveals today’s job search realities.

Does an MBA really enhance your job search? What does “networking” really mean? How does today’s job search environment differ from the last few years? These and many more reality checks are discussed.