Ten Job Hunting Myths | By Erin Burt

The job market is improving. A recent study from the National
Association of Colleges and Employers found that employers plan to hire
13% more new college grads this year than last year — with business,
engineering and computer fields taking top priority.

That’s good news if you or someone you know is preparing to make the
move from library stacks to a corporate cubicle. But it doesn’t mean the
perfect job will just fall in your lap. And misconceptions about job
hunting, the working world and the entry-level employee’s role can
easily bog down a young professional’s progress.

Improve your chances of finding your dream job. Don’t get sucked into
these ten common job-hunting myths:

1 | Finding a job after college will be quick and easy

Although the job market for this year’s college grads looks rosier
than last year, don’t expect the job offers to come rolling in. Finding
work may be a cinch for a select few, but for the vast majority, it will
still take serious effort.

The length of your hunt will depend on a variety of factors,
including:

• The job market
• Your location
• Your qualifications
• The amount of time you dedicate to your search
• Your interviewing skills
• The types of resources you use to find job openings

If it takes a while, don’t get discouraged. The average job search
lasts four months, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and
Christmas. To make ends meet in the meantime, you may have to take a
less glamorous (and lower-paying) gig. A few of my friends have worked
in call centers, flipped burgers or cleaned toilets for a couple months
after graduation — just until they landed a job where they could use
their degree.

2 | The Internet is the best place to look for a job

“One of the most prevalent misconceptions in job hunting is that job
hunting on the Web is some magic elixir that will result in employers
lining up to interview you,” says Randall Hansen, associate professor of
marketing at Stetson University and publisher of Quintessential
Careers.

While the Internet should probably make up one component of your
search, says Hansen, it shouldn’t be your only strategy. Only about 15%
to 20% of all job openings are ever publicly advertised in any medium,
and only about 5% of job seekers end up getting jobs through ads, Hansen
says.

How does everyone else do it? Word of mouth.

“Networking is by far the most effective job-search tool you can
use,” Hansen says. When you’re first starting out, you probably don’t
know many people in your field that can help in your job hunt, so this
can present a challenge. But there are plenty of ways beginners can plug
into the grapevine:

• Check out the resources offered by your college alumni association.
• Join a professional organization or club.
• Subscribe to a trade magazine.
• Consider getting an internship.
• Find online discussion groups for your industry though groups.google.com.
• Set up informational
  interviews with experts in your field
• Keep in touch with college acquaintances in your major, especially
  those who may have graduated before you.

The Internet may not be a total bust — I found my first job out of
college through an online journalism job board. But taking the time to
weave a web of professional contacts could create more opportunities for
you now and enhance your career options down the road.

Learn how to use
the Web productively in your job hunt.

3 | I’ll make at least $40,000 at my first job out of college

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