I applied to my first job at a Five Guys when I was 16. Not knowing up from down when it came to careers, I turned to my parents for advice. I distinctly remember sitting down in my father’s office and him going through things I needed to know to be successful in my professional career. Many of his points have followed me through to my adult life – for better and for worse.
It’s high time we set the record straight on this list of widely held job myths.
You need to write a thank you note to your interviewer
That aforementioned job I applied for when I was 16? I physically wrote the shift leader a handwritten thank you for his time after my interview. Months later he confessed to me it made him feel really uncomfortable. It’s one of my most embarrassing career mishaps to date.
While it used to be considered rude and inconsiderate to have someone interview you and not include a follow up within one day, hiring managers are now so often inundated with day-to-day emails and job-related correspondence that a follow up email is nothing but an inbox-clogger. Hiring managers often interview 20-30 people for roles, and responding to candidate emails is just a time suck.
As a general rule of thumb, I only email interviewers who give me their business cards and only write to the hiring manager, if ever. If you have a phone screen with a company recruiter, you’ll look a little silly writing to them for a thank you – it’s literally their job, won’t impact your candidacy, and is just an extra email the interviewer needs to read. While you want to demonstrate that you’re a go-getter and the best candidate for the role, you don’t want to come off as desperate. Following up too eagerly can certainly reek with desperation and be a huge turn off to employers.
Cover letters are necessities
When job applications were physically mailed in with hard-copy resumes, cover letters were critical to explain your purpose for writing – otherwise, you’re just an anonymous spammer. But, welcome to the day of the LinkedIn Easy Apply, where you have your basic profile information on retainer and a PDF version of your resume to submit to employers with literally the click of a button. Most of these applications don’t even allow for cover letters.
Fortunately for many but unfortunately to some, applying to jobs is almost solely a numbers game. For many jobs, your application let alone your cover letter, won’t be seen. Many online application systems now filter out resumes that don’t hit specific keyword criteria for job postings which will trigger an automatic rejection before a recruiter even sets eyes on your application. Even then, cover letters rarely make it past recruiters to the hiring manager, and if they do, many hiring managers don’t have time (or desire) to read through cover letters – they’d rather meet you in person. It’s better to put your efforts towards perfecting your interview first impressions than composing another cover letter.
Staying at one job will help you climb the ladder
Back when pensions were the norm, it was not only courtesy to your employer to stay at one job for an extended period of time, but it was worth it for the payout. In today’s career climate where pensions are virtually nonexistent, the pension benefits that are lost out on are recouped with higher salaries that are accrued quicker by jumping from job to job – roughly every 2 years or so. It’s no longer seen as taboo to have a slew of jobs on your resume, but regarded in a positive light. To millennial and younger hiring managers, more positions = more experience and workplace exposure.
It’s tacky to negotiate salary
Any employer that makes you feel guilty about negotiating your salary is 100% not worth your time and is absolutely underpaying you, guaranteed. Nearly all job offers are made at least 15% below budget in anticipation that you’ll come back with a higher rate. If you don’t negotiate, you’re just putting money back in your company’s pocket.
My main rule of thumb when it comes to salary negotiation is 1. never be the first to name a number – ever. If a recruiter asks you what your expected salary range is, say that you’re negotiable, or ask what the OTE for the role is. Then, work within that range to create a number you’re comfortable with. 2. Always negotiate for at least 10% higher than your initial offer. I have gotten up to 20%, but if your company is willing to offer you much higher than that, you might start questioning why they were so much under their target to begin with and what other shady practices are going on.
The longer the hours you put in, the more successful you’ll be
While millennials are known to be the fosterers of the “hustle culture,” that mentality has recently shifted. Much in part due to the office exodus during pandemic, people have grown to value work-life balance more than ever before. Work from home made gave many people the insight how much of their day was being consumed by work and allowed them to start doing things that they normally wouldn’t have been able to pursue. Ironically, being at home made us all value our time more. We all wanted to return to office, sure, but we all returned with a slightly shifted mentality, as well.
With the value of the dollar being so low, return on time in-office work is also at it’s lowest. Time at your desk no longer had a direct return in pay, which is largely in part due to the change in approach to climbing the career ladder. As mentioned above, people are now seeking promotions by moving to new companies, which means putting in extra hours at the office and vying for the promotion isn’t as prominent of a “thing” anymore.
PTO is a request, not a guarantee
All too many of the work horror stories I’ve heard are from people working shift positions surrounding PTO and sick days. While PTO should always be submitted in advance when possible, that’s just not always the case. If you want to take a last minute long weekend, you’re within your rights to do so! After all, PTO is a benefit; you should never feel guilty about taking it or retaliated against should you opt to use it at times convenient to you.
You should only take a sick day if you’re physically ill
Up until very recently, it was seen as a gross misuse of sick days to take a day off for your mental health. Luckily, it seems the workplace has had a significant mentality shift and has now grown to include mental health with our actual health (shocking, I know).
When you’re feeling mentally worn down and emotionally exhausted, you can’t always push through the fog – and you shouldn’t always try to. To prevent yourself from getting physically ill and causing you to miss more work, be proactive in taking a day for your mental health. Stay in bed, get a massage, order Chinese food en masse, journal – a day with no specific tasks in mind will do wonders for your productivity and attitude. It’s a win for you and your employer.
A lot has changed in the job world since I applied for my first job (in person) when I was 16. As a business development professional, I often mentor college-level students who are about to enter the career force, many of whom ask if the following beliefs are outdated or not. I’ve interviewed a fair amount of people as well, and can speak to the above from direct experience.
However, while these are largely held beliefs between myself and virtually all of my colleagues, I do work with more antiquated, “around-the-block” type of people who still value the “old way of doing things.” At the end of the day, the career climate is in a state of flux and transition, and though these new ways of doing things are pretty widely accepted, some people haven’t yet caught on (my parents still appreciate those thank you notes!), but I’m excited that we’re moving to a more flexible, lenient work culture. Work is a necessity, of course, but it shouldn’t be the bane of our existence.
What are your sentiments on these job myths? Do you follow any of these still, or disagree with anything on this list? Let us know in the comments, we love to hear your thoughts!
