Millennials have spent much of their lives proving to the world that they are good at everything and anything; English and math, sports and art. They are gentle and charitable but also outgoing, with strong leadership skills. So what can we expect them to do when pursuing the “right job?” Show that they are good at everything, of course!
But what do employers want? What do they believe on a resume or in an interview? We can’t blame millennials for wanting to come off as the full package. However, it is essential for them to understand that employers look to build well-rounded teams, where individual strengths collectively meet overall needs. They don’t necessarily want everyone to be both a great schmoozer and a great writer. In fact, a manager once yelled at me for assisting with some writing that needed to be done. “You’re my networker,” he said. “I need you on the phone.” But if the whole office was full of people as loquacious as me, nothing would be accomplished. Can you imagine a team where everyone was a leader?
Candidates don’t have to go out of their way to hide their weaknesses or to apologize for them. They need to believe their strengths are valuable enough to stand on their own. And they need to know how to get that across on a resume and then in an interview; with authenticity and confidence.
Quite often that blemish that a candidate believes will make him/her undesirable is entirely irrelevant to the position.
Terry is a career coach who works with GAMECHANGER clients. For more information regarding her services, please contact GAMECHANGERNOW.COM.
