Job Search Advice – how to sift through information overload

I have been in the career consulting business for well over 13years and when unemployment numbers soar, so do the number of people offering job search advice. My clients tell me that everytime they turn around someone is offering resume tips or job search advice, and the maddening part is that it can sometimes be conflicting information. The first tip I give them is to consider the source: is this advice coming from a caring family member or friend, a well intended volunteer at a job club, or a professional? Just because someone was in job transition once doesn’t qualify them to offer advice. In fact sound job search advice that worked 5 years ago may no longer be effective in this current job market. Professionals will be people with formal training and experience in career transition, counseling, coaching, human resources, maybe recruiting. A second thing I tell my clients to consider is how well the person offering the advice knows your background and situation? Too often advice is given generally and with a broad brush stroke and is not tailored to a specific person. Thirdly it is important to know who the intended audience is for the advice, because not all advice applies to everyone. For example resume advice I give my executive clients may be different than the advice I give my attorney clients or clients in another profession. Lastly in addition to filtering the overwhelming amount of job search information by considering the source, the audience and the relevance, it is also important not to make dramatic and instantaneous changes to your resume or strategy until you repeatedly hear the same tip. Otherwise job seekers find themselves constantly tweaking and not getting any traction in their search. Never hesitate to ask the person offering advice to explain why they are giving you the advice they are giving and how it has been proven effective in the current job market.