You are not the perfect
candidate for the job.
Beware of claiming to be
the perfect candidate for a job during the application process.
I understand the impulse
to sound confident by writing, "I am the perfect person for the job!"
Don't worry about
not sounding confident. Your command of language inside your cover letter
will establish your credibility gracefully.
Boasting that you are
the perfect candidate will most likely have the opposite effect on you reader.
Here are three reasons
not to introduce yourself as the perfect candidate for the job:
1.
Calling yourself perfect
is illogical. You are human, and so you are not perfect.
2.
You are not in the
position yet, and so you cannot know firsthand all that is required in the
position. The boast that you're perfect for it implies a familiarity with
the job's requirements that makes you sound naive, maybe even ignorant.
3.
Finally, you do not know
who the other candidates are. Without a reliable basis of comparison to
the other candidates, you do not only not know if you are the best candidate
for the position which in this context is what perfect implies.
Consider wisdom,
humility and a different word choice than perfect
when you tender your application for a job. Think of saying it
differently and more truly with descriptions like viable candidate, competitive
candidate, serious contender. Use anything but
perfect, because, you are not perfect. When you use that word in this
way, you prove it--and you usually prove it right at the top of the cover
letter or resume.
Daphne Simpkins' most recent book is Christmas in Fountain City
No comments:
Post a Comment