5 Career Tips You Need to Ignore

By Catherine Conlan

Monster Contributing Writer

 

People are full of advice on just about every topic under the sun, and you’ve probably gotten a lot of work-related tips over the course of your career. But there are some nuggets that you’d be better off disregarding.

 

Consider these five career tips you need to ignore:

Ask for a promotion. 

 

It’s common to hear that you won’t get a raise or a promotion if you don’t ask for one. But PeopleNRG.com Managing Partner Lawrence Polsky says you shouldn’t ask; “not even at your annual review.” Instead, use your actions to show you’re a better leader.

 

“Learn the business inside and out, generate team results that your boss can't ignore and create the most positive, supportive, entrepreneurial spirit in the company,” he advises. “Then, when there is a need for a new leader, you will be asked. If you want to be promoted into a leadership role, and you think this advice is not realistic, then go get a new job in a new company where it is.”

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Keep your resume brief. 

 

You’ve probably been told to keep your resume to one page, but Michael Morgenstern, head of hiring at theExpert Institute, disagrees. “Your resume reflects why you are best qualified for and deserving of the proposed position. If you've had extensive work experience, don't sacrifice highlighting your skills, talents, and expertise just to cram everything onto one sheet of paper. Your resume should be tailored for the specific job you are applying for, and each job description should emphasize the talents that you have developed and will bring to the proposed role.”

A great resume will get you hired. 

 

Marketing strategist Kyle Sexton says it’s vital to focus on using your resume to get an interview. “Your resume doesn't need to be in chronological order or even include every job you've had.”

 

“Your resume is a marketing tool,” he explains. “Use it -- along with your phone -- to get an interview. A great attitude and interview gets you the job, not the resume. Recognizing the different stages of the hiring process is critical to creating a tool that works well for its intended purpose.”

Send a post-interview thank-you note. 

 

Career coach Bettina Seidman says yes, a note after an interview is a good idea -- but not a thank-you note. “Send a strategic follow-up letter indicating why you are an excellent candidate,” she says. “It should be a response to the asked or un-asked question: why should we hire you?”

Follow your passion. 

 

This tip is “the most erroneous,” says Heidi Nazarudin, a former CEO turned style-and-success blogger. Many people have multiple passions or might not discover their true passions until later in life, “and sometimes these passions are just not viable as a source of income. The right question would be ‘What kind of life do I want to set up for myself?’”

 

For example, Nazarudin says she’s always been visually creative but knew being a successful photographer would be difficult. Instead, “I became an investment banker and pursued photography on the weekends,” she says. “My career as a successful investment banker allows me to indulge in my passion, and live the life I want.”