Common career misconceptions that might hold you back.

Don’t let these myths affect your career.

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Do you feel anxious about applying for a new job? Are you at a crossroads in your career and don’t know which way to go? Do popular myths about career scare you? Here are 10 career misconceptions that might be holding you back:

• The most experienced or qualified candidate receives the job offer.

Companies and their HR always search and hire candidates that are a perfect fit in the company. At the same time, it doesn’t mean that the person they have hired has an adequate amount of experience or has the perfect qualification.

Even if you aren’t qualified the recruiters always look for the unexpected in individuals. Even something as small as your hunger to work or your optimistic attitude attracts the eyes of these companies and can land you the job. Career coaches market or advertises your skills in the perfect way to companies as they know how recruiting works.

Hiring a career coach gives you a huge advantage in choosing or changing your career path. Having a career coach by your side increases your chances of landing a job.


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• As long as I am employed, I don’t have to work on my career.

This is one of the main reasons why most people don’t truly succeed in their careers. This is the age of globalization and the century of technological advancements. Automation is taking over manual work.

Irrespective of the career one is in, he/she needs to upgrade his skills in this ever-developing world. As years pass, unique and creative skills are needed, and eventually the demand of people having the required skills increases. One should adapt to his/her changing surroundings and upgrade their skills respectively.

Career guidance is important and one shouldn’t be scared to ask for guidance from the experienced ones. Career coaches can give you useful advice on how you can upgrade your skills according to the job. It is essential to not only upgrade themselves but also to branch out their career options as a backup.

• My professional development and education ended when I graduated from school.

There’s no end to a man’s learning. The more knowledge a person gains the more success they will achieve in their lives. Adding more degrees to your resume gives you an upper hand when compared to someone who has a mediocre resume.



Yes, you would be chopping a few years off of your career if you decide to add a degree or a diploma to your resume but what you need to understand is that the degree that you would do would be apt to the latest trends in the industry and hence increases your value for a company.Coming to which degree you need, you can ask any experienced person you trust or even hire a career coach.

Huge MNCs will likely ax a bunch of people to make space for the younger generation and the youth are exactly what they need because they are up to date with the required skills. So, in this competitive world to decrease the chances of being laid off from your job you need to add anything extra you can to your resume.

But you need to keep in mind which course or degree is the right one for the industry you work in because it wouldn’t benefit you if you do a course in a subject that has nothing to do with your work. Job hunting will be much easier when you have a couple of extra diplomas or degrees in your pocket.

• Companies make job offers with the highest compensation they can afford.

Most people don’t grow in their respective careers because they believe the salary they get is the maximum pay that the company can afford. This is a myth that people should stop believing in. What truly matters to a company is what their employee is bringing to the table.

If you give more than what’s required of you in a job, people will always notice. And if you feel the job that you are doing and the pay that you are getting doesn’t level out correctly you should ask for a raise and if the company sees potential in you and agrees with you, you will definitely get a raise.

A company can afford a lot more than what they are offering you. But it should never be taken as an advantage because at the end of the day you are working for them and not the other way around.

• If I work hard and do a good job, my position will be secure.

Once you start job hunting and eventually land a job it is common to feel that your job is secured and no one can take it away and all you have to do is work hard. But here’s the reality: In this competitive world, it is definitely not easy to have a job for long because there are people out there who are ready to do your work at a much lesser cost.

Here’s why your job is not secure:

• People who have just started out in their careers are ready to do jobs at a much lesser cost.
• People who have upgraded their skills seem much more attractive than the ones that just have experience.
• The company can replace you with 2 younger guys whose salaries will be the same as yours when combined.

Here’s what you need to do to decrease your chances of getting laid off:

• Keep on upgrading your skills.
• Be caught up with what’s new and what the company needs.
• Do more than what the job pays you.
• Ask for career guidance from the experienced ones.

Doing the above can’t guarantee you that your job is secured but will definitely help you with your career.

• A resume and LinkedIn profile are all I need to search for a job.

If having a LinkedIn profile is all you need for a job then everyone would have a job. Job hunting is never easy but you need to put effort if you truly need a job.
Here are a few things you could do while Job hunting:

• You need to look in the classifieds section of newspapers for new jobs.
• You need to keep your connections with people because you never know when a vacancy might appear.
• Sign up for any job-hunting website.
• Hire a career coach.
• It's a recruiter's job to find me a new position, so I don't have to search for a job myself.

It’s never completely a recruiter’s responsibility to find you a new position. You need to converse and express what interests you and what job is more suitable for you so you both could come to a decision that’s a perfect fit for you.

There are a few things that the recruiter might not know about you like what’s best for you, what you are comfortable with etc and if you don’t share these things with your recruiter then you might get a job that you will eventually hate.



It’s your career at stake if you don’t help out the recruiter. So, your transition to a new position will be much smoother and faster if you work together with the recruiter to figure out what’s right for you. You can also consult your career coach for an experienced decision.

You should always ask the people in your network if there are any vacancies available that they know of and if there are, you can apply for this new position. The new position might be even better than the current position that you are working in.

• It's the employer's responsibility to manage my career path.
  (Conversely, my career path is at the mercy of my employer).

You can never rely on some other person when it comes to your career. Your career is your responsibility, not the employers or the company’s. You should always look for new ways to increase your value at a company.

Being stuck at the same job for 5-6 years is not a good thing and you can’t sit around and wait for your employer to give you a new position or a promotion. Just because the job that you are doing is comfortable doesn’t mean you can work in the same position for years together.

There should always be this undying hunger of growing in your career but it should never be relying on your employer. A career coach is the best alternative because they are experienced and at the same time they know how to shape a particular individual's career.



But you should always be the one who takes the final decision when it comes to your career.

• Networking is for salespeople, entrepreneurs, and job seekers – I don’t need to network throughout my career.

Most people underestimate the power of networking. It can be very useful throughout your career.

For example: If you are unhappy with your job and would like to work for some other company and you tell this to one of your friends who works at a huge MNC and out of the blue a vacancy appears in his company and immediately your friend thinks of you to fill the vacancy.

That’s how networking can help you even though you are not into sales or aren’t hunting for a job. Having a career coach also gives you an advantage in this area as they know people from various fields. So, no matter what you are doing, networking is important for your career.

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• All the open positions are listed on job boards on the internet or in newspapers.

A company lists the jobs that they are in immediate need of on the internet and the classifieds section. But there are a lot more vacancies that a company doesn’t actually need at the moment.

These vacancies are only known to the recruiters and a couple of employees. This is the point where networking comes in. It would be easier to know these unlisted vacancies if you know people from different companies.

These unlisted vacancies are also made known to the career coaches who know how to pick the right person for the job. Networking plays a crucial role when it comes to jobs that aren’t usually listed on the internet.

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