Considering Advice in the Job Market

It’s interesting when you see three posts from talent/recruiting professionals in a row, each offering very authoritative guidelines for drafting a resume or landing a position—and they all contradict each other in almost every detail.

There is no silver bullet. No single resume to rule them all. The fact is, there is so much out of your control that all you can do is your best. So much depends on how a hiring manager might feel that day, how irritated they are at the previous 300 resumes they’ve viewed, and countless other factors beyond your control.

The only thing you truly have control over is yourself—what you do, and how you do it. Keep learning. Sharpen your skills. Build things that demonstrate your abilities. Look for opportunities to start your own venture if you have the marketable, in-demand skills for it. Don’t wait for someone at a company to pick you. Pick yourself and build a body of work that is undeniable.

If you're not ready to go it alone, find colleagues with complementary skill sets and start something as a team. Just do something—don’t wait. Even a little momentum in the right direction can have a profound impact on getting you where you want to be.