I dedicate this blog to all of us who obsess about everything.
Pen down. Why would I ever say that? Beyond a certain point, resume obsession is dangerous.
Illusion of control
The job search process is fundamentally out of our control. If you have a plan to a) understand your exact job goals b) prepare a best in class resume/LinkedIn profile c) network like a politician and d) dialogue about the best “you”, you have done everything you can do.
Since we can’t control the number of job openings, age bias, gender bias, or the hiring of the CEO’s cousin instead of your spouse who is much better qualified, many of us resort to creating the illusion of control by obsessing about our resumes. The decision of moving that bullet from here to there is really irrelevant. “managed” vs “led”?; who cares! Instead of fooling yourself, accept the lack of control you have over the process.
We meditate, or should, to accept the lack of control in our lives, to be more in the flow. Job search is the same. When you are more in the flow, you will be less nervous, anxious and play the game with strength and clarity.
It takes time away from networking
The single biggest flaw in almost every job seeker’s plan is not recognizing the power of their network. Your network comprises those you know and those relationships you can create. For every second you spend obsessing about your resume, you waste precious time not networking.
However, let’s be real. Who likes to network? It feels uneasy, weird and gross. Reaching out to those that worked for me 5 years ago to help me now? Yuck! However, if you want a job, obsess about networking, not your resume. After doing this job for a long time, I can tell you from experience that those who network like crazy will speed their job search 2-4 months.
It doesn’t help anyway
Since the reader has 8-12 seconds to read your resume, they will focus on your tagline and 3-4 select accomplishments (please don’t use a paragraph opening called a “Professional Summary”; nobody will read it). Don’t have a tagline and 3-4 select accomplishments or know what they are? Please see my recent article called 5 Reasons why Google and Goldman Love this Resume .
If the reader is interested, they will speed read your content. Obsessing over the wording for bullet 5 on page 2 is simply not helpful. Don’t get me wrong, you need solid content with examples, metrics, tangible results. However, beyond that, you’re wasting your time.
“You must learn to let go. Release the stress. You were never in control anyway.”
― Life, the Truth, and Being Free