A job search is a naturally complex endeavor. Completing assessment exercises, brainstorming targets, identifying the search phase you’re currently in, strategizing for interviews — you have a lot to juggle when you’re looking for a job. However, it pays to simplify in some key areas, otherwise prospective employers may have a hard time understanding who you really are professionally and what you might bring to the table.
Two places where simplicity is a must are your resume and your LinkedIn profile. If yours is overly complex and overtly strategized, you could be burying your true professional identity under layers of information that hiring managers don’t need. You could be making it harder, not easier, for them to understand how you could fit into their organizations.
When you’re writing your resume, a good summary at the top can provide a powerful statement of who you are, and you should keep it simple to create the greatest impact. Be straightforward and highlight the two or three most important facts you want managers to know about you and the type of work you’re looking for. Scale back on too many details or flowery language throughout the resume. Instead, focus on real accomplishments and describe them using a few powerful action words.
Likewise, your LinkedIn profile should tell a reader who you are professionally with a few highlights of what makes you truly unique. One of the many advantages of LinkedIn is its ability to present your professional information as a quickly read, easy-to-understand snapshot of your professional life.
Similarly, cover letters need to be both customized and simple. Don’t just jump into a cover letter with an invitation to join your LinkedIn network and all the minutia of your professional life. Be succinct and simple with a short summary describing who you are professionally and your recent accomplishments.
When it comes to detail in a resume, cover letter or on LinkedIn, less is more and clarity is key. Here’s why: These forms of communication are tools meant to spark interest just enough to lead to further conversations with hiring managers. Once you have their attention, you can wow them with all the impressive details that will help you land the job. Your first goal is to make a connection and establish a relationship — before you get to extra stuff. It’s rather like oversharing on a first date; you may be happy to know the person on the other side of the dinner table grew up in the Midwest, but you may not yet be comfortable hearing about the extreme things they had to do to stay warm while growing up!
Life in general is complex, and it can be easy to over-strategize your job search. Instead, think through your search, follow through with GetFive process, and position yourself properly and clearly. When you simplify, you may discover that finding a job isn’t nearly as complicated as you thought.
