job searching

The largest stockpile of job searching advice on the internet — more than a decade of questions and answers about how to find a job.

I lied on my resume — now what?

A reader writes: I recently applied for a prestigious company looking to fill a role that’s rarely open — and I lied on my resume. Specifically, I lied about where I went to school. The company hires people from top-caliber schools and I thought swapping the name of my college would help me get my […]

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when is struggling financially worth it for your career?

A reader writes: Three months ago, I made the transition from my multiple low-paying jobs in the nonprofit world to a much better-paying single job in government. I love the money. I love it! I literally get overwhelmed and start grinning like an idiot when I think about how I can afford an apartment by […]

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should I apply to businesses that aren’t hiring?

A reader writes: I was hoping you might be able to help me finally put to bed a long-running argument between me and my mother about the proper way to find a job. For almost as long as I’ve been job hunting, she has insisted that it’s a good idea to apply to places that […]

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your job application was rejected by a human, not a computer

Christine Assaf of HRTact.com recently published a kind of amazing break-down of something I’ve been trying to convince people of for years: that your job application was most likely rejected by a human, not a computer. It’s reprinted here with her permission. (Christine, by the way, is currently looking for an HR, people strategy, or I/O […]

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dealing with recruiters when phone calls make you anxious

A reader writes: I am a recent college grad on the job hunt. About two weeks ago, I posted my resume and number under a job board profile and got swarmed with recruiter calls and voicemails. The job hunt has brought out the worst side of my anxiety disorder and some things, like phone calls, […]

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is it possible to apply for a job too quickly?

A reader writes: I see a lot of questions about when it could be too late to apply, but very little about it being too early. I’m curious about your thoughts on applications that come in the same day the job was posted, sometimes even within one to two hours. For true entry-level positions, this […]

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here’s a bunch of help finding a new job

Since lots of people are job-searching right now, here’s a round-up of some of the most key job-searching advice on this site. Resumes and Cover Letters The first thing to know is, if you’re not getting interviews, you probably need to fix your resume and cover letter. If you’re thinking your materials are fine, know […]

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my well-meaning family keeps sending me terrible job leads

A reader writes: Because of the COVID-19 crisis, my job has temporarily furloughed me, and I’m not sure when (if?) it will ever come back to its normal capacity. So, I’ve been job hunting (actually, I was doing this even before the coronavirus crisis, but that’s another letter), and told my parents and sister that […]

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