10 Pieces of Once-Common Career Advice That Are Now Outdated
If you've been out of the job market for some time, you may not be aware of how some traditional, unspoken rules have changed since you last worked. While a lot of the career advice you were given a few (or even a lot of) years ago may still hold merit, much of it has since evolved.
Here are 10 pieces of advice, for example, that don't necessarily hold true anymore.
1. Put your photo on your resume.
While many people used to put their photos on their resumes, this isn't really the case anymore, depending on the field in which you work (or in which you want to work).
2. Dress up formally for the job interview.
Contrary to popular belief, you don't necessarily need to dress super formally to go to a job interview. Rather, you should do your best to dress professionally while still fitting in with the company culture. Just keep in mind that, if you don't know how others dress, it is still better to be overdressed than underdressed.
3. Never challenge authority.
Old-school advice might tell you not to challenge authority, but sometimes you may be better off if you do challenge authority. If, for example, you know of a better, more efficient way of handling a task or an alternative method of money making for the company, for example, you should share your thoughts and ideas. In fact, pushing the envelope could even help you stand out.
4. Never say no.
You're allowed to say no. As ever more people learn about burning out thanks to a growing body of research, it's becoming more and more OK to say no. You need to look out for yourself and not bite off more than you can chew.
5. Don't job hop.
While job hopping too much isn't a good luck, studies actually show that people job hop all the time (especially millennials and women in general) in order to expand their experience and find a job that truly fulfills them.
6. Don't keep a public social media presence.
The reality is that everyone has social media these days. While you may want to be careful about what you share on social media, no one is going to judge you for having it and publicly engaging with it. After all, social media is meant to be, well, social.
And today, cultivating your personal brand on social media can actually help you identify new career opportunities. By taking the time to update your FGB profile, for instance, you can network with others, find jobs, get company intel and more as part of the largest career community for women. Plus, you can join or create FGB Groups to build an even more robust network of women who share your career interests.
7. Working longer means working harder.
While the mentality was once that working longer means working harder, more and more people now understand that you should work smarter not harder. This means that, just because you showed up at the office before everyone else and left last, doesn't mean that you're making the best use of your time. In fact, research shows that taking breaks, for example, can actually help you to work more productively and efficiently.
8. Don't take vacation.
Taking a vacation might have once been frowned upon when people thought they had to work themselves into oblivion, but there's actually a whole host of reasons as to why you should take a vacation. And this is beyond that it's been granted to you.
9. Maintain a one-track brain.
Holding onto a healthy work-life balance is key to your health and happiness. Maintaining a one-track brain while you're at work or with family just doesn't work anymore, as people are now working from home a lot and the lines are blurring. It's OK to have multiple worlds in which you're involved now.
10. You can't wear casual clothes to the office.
Offices are becoming evermore casual, and many are even allowing employees to wear jeans and sneakers to the office.
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AnnaMarie Houlis is a feminist, a freelance journalist and an adventure aficionado with an affinity for impulsive solo travel. She spends her days writing about women’s empowerment from around the world. You can follow her work on her blog, HerReport.org, and follow her journeys on Instagram @her_report, Twitter @herreport and Facebook.
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