Worst Career Advice

“What?!”  That was my reaction last night at dinner to Matt’s story.  A new friend, Matt, landed the perfect position by NOT following the advice of the outplacement firm assigned to “help” him.

The background: Matt is a senior level executive able to command a considerable salary in the tech field. He has a rolodex as big as many New York City kitchens. Most importantly, Matt’s found every job through his network and knew that this time would be no different.

So what does an outplacement firm suggest? Get this. The outplacement firm suggested Matt create a one-page marketing sheet, listing the jobs he wanted and the companies he’d like to connect with.  For those of you unfamiliar with this tool, the logic is that by handing someone a list, she will more quickly and easily think of you when an opportunity comes along.  Sounds simple enough, right?  I’ve heard about this strategy before, and never suggest it to my clients. On the surface it seems harmless enough, but it backfires.

One Page Marketing Sheets Fail Because:

• It’s All About You.
  
• You Appear Lazy. Use LinkedIn to find out who is in your extended network. Use networking to determine the needs of the person, company, industry; and build relationships. If you need to show someone what you can do, send a professionally created resume – that’s what it’s for! A marketing sheet as hand-out comes across as though you expect someone else to do your homework for you.
• It’s Impersonal. Make yourself memorable by being personal. A straightforward e-mail and solid resume do more to communicate who you are than a list.

How do you tell good advice from bad? What’s the worst career advice you’ve heard?