Is Perfection Overrated?

Many job seekers spend hours trying to transform themselves into the perfect applicant, hoping that they land interviews with their desired companies. Well-written cover letters and expertly crafted resumes aside, however, perfection is often in the eye of the beholder. Before you try to become your potential future employer's ideal employee, consider a different set of job-seeking tactics and free yourself from the perfection millstone.

You're well-dressed, well-trained and well-spoken. In short, you're ready for the interview of a lifetime. But are you really the perfect applicant? A potential employer's idea of the perfect applicant is often very different than the applicant's vision of their own prowess.

To land your dream job, you need to be more than a perfect applicant. You must understand what your prospective employer looks for in a candidate and become that candidate. Sometimes, this requires a total change of tack and a reevaluation of your own idea of perfection.

Before you begin the application process or create that seemingly perfect resume, sit down with a pen and paper and assess your own definition of perfection. Fair goals might include a mistake-fee cover letter and a nice suit for interview day. Unfair goals may include making the human resources professional like you more than any other applicant. Realistically speaking, there may be many applicants suited for the job, so you need to make yourself uniquely memorable — and that involves more than perfection.

Instead of trying to be the perfect applicant, get to know the company you're applying with, and if you can, the people with whom you're interviewing. If you shape your own ambitions in line with company goals, you can show the human resources professional or manager your potential value as an employee. If they recognize what you can deliver, you may find an offer letter in your mailbox.

Interestingly, the perfect applicant isn't always the most approachable one. If you plan to ingratiate yourself into a team, you need to ensure that you don't come across as a know-it-all or an aloof, cold sort of a person. Teamwork requires collaboration, which makes vulnerability a must-have trait.

To make the most of your own vulnerability, consider telling the interviewer a personal story related to your work. Show the interviewer just how well you fit into that open position by merging your personality traits with the job description. Stay light-hearted and approachable as the interview progresses to show off your communication skills. If you make a mistake, try to laugh it off and move on with your answers.

The perfect resume and ideal cover letter only work if you follow up with a convincing interview. Rather than attempting to change yourself into the perfect applicant, research the company with which you're applying and go into the interview prepared to prove what a valuable and communicative asset you make to the team.

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