CAREER MYTHS

sticking it out for another year-plus, double-down on your job-search efforts.

“In the past, leaving a job too soon made it more difficult to find a new position, as many hiring managers were leery of ‘job hoppers’ who wouldn’t stick around,” says Carroll. That’s not the case any longer. Today it’s much more common to have a few jobs with short tenures, especially early on in your career, she says.

If you start a new job and discover it’s a bad fit, start looking immediately for something better. You don’t have to put up with something you hate to meet an arbitrary timeline. However, you should be prepared to explain why you left or are trying to leave so early, Carroll says, without sounding resentful or speaking negatively about the organization you’re leaving. Myth 5: Clocking long hours at the office will get you promoted

Your boss wants to see results, not dark circles under your eyes. Spending a lot of time in the office for the sake of “face time” is not the key to success. When it comes to getting recognized and getting ahead in your career, time doesn’t matter — your accomplishments do.

“I see people work themselves ragged, thinking they’ll get that next promotion or raise, and in the process they’re neglecting their families, friends, and health,” says Dawn Roberts, a career coach and efficiency consultant in Houston.

If you prioritize your tasks and become more efficient, you can spend less time at the office and still impress the boss. Send your boss a weekly summary of your tasks, but make sure the focus is on what you accomplished — not the hours it took to do it all — as well as the impact of your hard work.

Dominique Rodgers is a Monster contributor.