Google. It’s an amazing thing. Whenever you have a question you can’t answer, you Google it. Within seconds, you have thousands of answers at your fingertips. Powerful, huh? But how do you know which answer is the RIGHT answer? RELATED: Need career advice? Watch these tutorials Let’s use your resume as an example. You’re finally ready to call it quits at your horrible job and you need to update your resume. But you don’t know how to format it correctly. So, you get online, head to Google, and type in the question, “How should I format my resume?” A few taps and a click later, you’re bombarded with advice that “answers” this very problem. However, after clicking through a few of the results, you notice something. The first blog post you read didn’t offer the same answer as the second one you clicked on. And, some of the answers are from six years ago. And some of the answers come from sites you don’t trust. And Wikipedia’s on there, too, for some reason. Why is Wikipedia there?? So, here you are with all of these answers to your question, but you’re more confused than ever. Which one is right?! Google, in all of its power, isn’t the answer to your career problems. Here’s why…
1. Conflicting Advice
When you Google something, thousands of results appear on the screen in front of you. However, you realize that the first blog post you read had a COMPLETELY different answer than the second one. So, here you are with all of these answers to your question, but you’re more confused than ever. Which one is right?! Conflicting advice is a big disadvantage of relying on Google to answer your career problems. If you choose the wrong answer, it could hurt your career. Is it really worth the risk?2. Bad Advice
That brings me to my next point: Google can give you BAD career advice. Just because an answer shows up in the first five results, or even on the first page, it doesn’t mean that it’s correct. All it means is that webpage is optimized to a T so search engines rank it higher in their results. So, trusting those top results can be a risky move, especially when it comes to making big changes in your career.3. Outdated Advice
Another thing to be mindful of when Googling your career questions is that, sometimes, it gives you outdated advice that’s no longer applicable. Even if the page was published this year, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the information is up to date. When you Google “how to write a resume,” I guarantee you that someone will suggest you include an objective statement in your resume. Maybe that was good advice 20 years ago, but definitely not today! Do you want employers to laugh at you? I didn’t think so.4. Generalized Advice
When you’ve got a problem, you want the answer that best relates to your SPECIFIC situation, right? Unfortunately, Google isn’t a person and it usually can’t help you with those unique questions. While you can try to get specific with your query, sometimes it’s just not enough. Wouldn’t it be easier to talk to a real person and get their insight on your UNIQUE situation?5. Uncredible Information
How do you know if someone is REALLY an “expert” in career development or job search? This is your career and you can’t afford to fool around with information from sources that aren’t credible. Would you get medical advice from someone who’s not a doctor?6. Too Much Information
Ever get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of results that come up when you type in a query like “How to get a promotion”? THOUSANDS of answers appear instantly. Why are there so many answers for something so common? How do you KNOW which answer is the right answer out of all of these results? Seeing all of these “answers” to your question can be extremely overwhelming. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a small collection of the best advice?7. Ads Everywhere
Ads. Aren’t they the worst? They’re intrusive, distracting, and straight up annoying. When you go to a site that’s completely COVERED in ads, what’s your immediate reaction? You might think it’s spammy, you might think it’s not a credible source, and you might even reconsider getting advice from that site because you wonder, “How do I know if this advice isn’t an advertisement, too?”8. Time Consuming
Now, because there’s SO much information you need to sift through after conducting a Google search, finding an acceptable answer to your question can be extremely time consuming. You click on the first answer, naturally, because you think it might be the best answer. Then, after reading through the blog post, you realize that it’s not the answer you were looking for so you go back to your initial list of results. You repeat this process over and over again with little success. Do you really have time to waste on just FINDING the answer?9. More Questions
The worst part of relying on Google for answers to your career questions is that it usually leaves you with even more questions than you had initially. How do I know if this is right? Why should I trust this person’s advice? What else do I need to do to accomplish my goal? These additional, unexpected questions can leave you even more confused and overwhelmed than before. Wouldn’t it be great if you had access to a tool that, when you asked a question about resumes, you could get the right answer from a real career expert fast? Turns out, there’s a place for that. CareerHMO, the Career Improvement Platform, is the place to go when Google isn’t the answer. With its online tools, dedicated career coaches, and supportive community, CareerHMO is a leader in career improvement. It offers over 200 hours of in-depth video tutorials, live webinars with real career coaches, and email coaching for those who want more personalized career guidance. (Plus, it has cutting-edge resume and cover letter templates so you can format your resume correctly.) If you’ve ever had a question about updating your resume, filling out your LinkedIn profile, preparing for an interview, or negotiating your salary, CareerHMO has the RIGHT answer for you.Do YOU have a question?
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