[scarlett35]

Hi everyone! At the moment i am working on different cvs as i apply for jobs. However, im having loads of problems with perfectionism! I do have struggles with this in all my work and in everything I do and it's becoming a real problem!)

So this particular cv is for a job I really want. I am so stressed over it I'm tweaking it non-stop, sending it for feedback and such from the careers service. They seem to think it's ok. However I got a free critique from an online service and have been liasing with the lady who did it, she thinks it could have a lot more punch and has given me ways to improve it.

It's just making me so so anxious. I spent all day yesterday on the cv, trying to improve the layout, trying to make myself sound more like an achiever (which doesn't come naturally!) And I still don't think it stands out. I just feel a bit deflated, there's so much competition in the job market I feel like unless my cv is top notch I'm just going to get discarded. I know that's quite a negative view to have! Hopefully it's not the case...

Yesterday I ended up feeling quite poorly with a headache. Yet I still couldn't stop tweaking my cv. As soon as I got up this morning I was looking for ways to improve it. I want to give myself some time away and then maybe I will have a clearer Head, but I feel guilty or something. Like it won't be good enough! Argh it's just a nightmare.

Just wanted a bit of support and stuff I think! Maybe some success stories!

Thanks for reading!

[Yzen]

I always have to tell myself that it's "good enough" otherwise, perfectionism distracts me from my goal.

When I was helping my manager at my last company hire an employee, we went through resumes quickly. I think less than a minute to scan it to see if the person had what he was looking for. It was an interesting experience to be on the other side of hiring....we typically looked at the top half of the resume to get an idea if the person might be a fit and didn't have time to read every word. I mention it because I was surprised how little all the detail and correct wording really means when it comes to people quickly reviewing the resume. This was a big company and we were understaffed, so maybe other companies take more time. It all seemed so hurried to me.

I hope your job search goes well!

Well, to be honest, I've read that we have six seconds to grab a recruiter/hiring manager/HR person's attention with our resume, from the experts. I think it's great to keep tweaking it, improving it and working on it to get it just right. It's also great that you've gone to experts for their guidance and feedback. Formatting counts, your intro statement counts and should highlight your strengths. Perhaps keep getting the feedback until you are satisfied with the outcome...... getting overly anxious doesn't help much, but I know sometimes that cannot be helped if one is perfectionistic. I am a perfectionist myself!! But just keep working at it until you are happy with it. (((hugs))) and best of luck with the job search!!

[lifelesstraveled]

I was the same way, but got to a point where I said to myself "this is fine as is. if they don't like the resume, then they don't like it. and maybe it's not the job for me". I just tweak it as i apply to job to fit the job but I've stopped obsessing bc it's maddening for me. I figure if I tweak it as I apply to jobs something will stick. We aren't perfect. Luckily I just received a job offer and you know what? My resume wasn't perfect.

Also as far as 6 seconds to grab someone's attention, can you try adding a line in that best describes you in 140 characters or less and put it right at the top? If you get stuck like I did, I simply googled "describe yourself in 140 characters or less" to get a general idea of creative ways to word things, to find words that best describe me etc.

Hmm, how much punch it needs depends on your job and industry.

You can look at other people’s resume if you want on indeed.com/resume.

People post them and they are searchable.

I suspect you are worrying too much. Make sure you don’t have typos and have someone else read it. I hired a recruiter to read mine and role play interviewing with me. A few months later, she had a job for me, which I got. I think I would have got it anyway because at least three other contacts told me about it.

Anyway, good luck, and relax!!

When you start interviewing, check out the muse 31 most common interview questions and how to answer (just google)

[scarlett35]

Thank you everyone! I got loads of advice from the careers service but it seems everyone wants different things! Kind of helps me to realise there's no perfect cv really!

I've handed in my cv and cover letter for a job yesterday. It's a job I would really like but don't want to put all my eggs in one basket!

Thanks everyone for the advice! Now i have a decent cv I'll just tweak it for the rest of my applications!