When Is Imperfection Preferable

When Is Imperfection Preferable There are some areas of life where perfection is not what you want. Friendships dont need perfection to be good, right? In fact, the people who pretend to be perfect rarely have a lot of friends because perfectionists keep others at arms length so the world doesnt find out they arent perfect, after all. Relationships are stable because we give each other room to fail and correct our mistakes. We dont need to be perfect in order to be loved or liked. We do need to be able to admit when we are wrong and be willing to fix it. Some Things Must Be Perfect As endearing as a mistake can be in a friend, there are times you dont get a do-over. Resumes are a perfect example of this, because there isnt a relationship established yet. Spelling errors arent going to get you much more than a ribbing from your grammar-Nazi friend, but that same error will get your resume cast aside by the HR person assigned to fill the position. The HR person is going on a quick first impression based on your resume, but your friend is looking at your mistakes in context of your friendship. Make Sure Your Resume Meets Professional Standards If your resume isnt resulting in job interviews, ask that grammar-Nazi friend to help by giving you a resume critique. People who have professional standards for writing got there by making lots of mistakes and correcting them, over and over again. The problem isnt that your resume is imperfect. Its that you havent dealt with the imperfections yet. Resumes need to meet professional standards that cover more than spelling. Polishing your resume so it shines with perfection is a perfect way to prove you are worth considering for a position. Once you are at your new job, you can share some imperfections with your new friends.