One of my favorite HR-related blogs is Punk Rock HR. Laurie doles out good, common-sense, behind the curtain stuff, with a healthy dose of smackdown.
A recent post, You’re Not a Career Expert, questions the efforts of career bloggers in passing along advice on job search.
My take: she’s absolutely right, and also missing something.
Yes, so much career advice is foundational. Use spell check. Send your resume on quality paper. Don’t pick your nose in an interview. Seems obvious, right? Except it’s not.
Through volunteer work as a resume reviewer, I’ve met people writing their first-ever resume. They started a job twenty years ago and were promoted, promoted, promoted, downsized. Or they’re from overseas and this is their first job search in the U.S. Or they’re just out of school, and struggling to figure out what of their scholastic achievement is pertinent to employers. These people need basic, structural, step-by-step guidance on job search. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It takes some humility to admit that you need advice, and an open mind to accept it and implement it. Both of these are great qualities, and neither would I want to stifle.
But Laurie’s on the money when she says writing about interview etiquette and resume formatting isn’t the stuff of experts. It’s sharing best practices, but it’s not rocket science.
Here’s the problem: if you’re looking for a job, you’re at the whim of others. As everyone’s whims are different, it’s impossible to devise a one-size-fits-all job search strategy.
Database search or paper resumes. Retained recruiters, contingency recruiters, or internal recruiters. Read from the top of the stack or the bottom. HR recommends for interviews, or manager picks. Manager prefers phone or email. Recruiter prefers mail or fax. So many variables, almost no way to anticipate them.
So here’s what I’ve set out to do here: mix the strategic with the tactical, share a variety of perspectives, give you a view of the other side of the desk, and get you thinking more deeply about your talents and experience to help you find the right opportunity for you.
What have I missed? What can I do to help you?
Related posts:
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- 10 Career Questions You Were Afraid to Ask
- How long is your resume? Who cares?
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