Career Management lessons from my Grandmother

Once, when I was very young, a group of adults was talking. I decided to join in. My grandmother looked at me with a very serious face, and she said the following: “Billy, it’s better to keep your mouth shut and to be thought stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.“

It was years before I understood what she meant. But then I got it, and I never forgot it. When you don’t know what you’re talking about and babble something,  you look less knowledgeable than if you said nothing. I remember those words and try to practice that bit of wisdom 

Your words should be taken very seriously – by yourself.

But here’s the thing: this lesson applies equally to both the written word and the spoken word. What are some of the written words that employees use in today’s business world? In my opinion, there are two key documents: your résumé and your LinkedIn profile. Both of those are your attempts to put your best foot forward. You want to present your best self to the world with whom you are communicating. Having been a hiring manager for over 35 years, I can’t tell you how many bad resumes and LinkedIn profiles I have observed. As a manager, I was always looking for exceptional people. When I saw a resume or LinkedIn profile that showed that this person took their word seriously and did a lot of editing before she put it on paper or the Internet. I was impressed. Conversely, when I saw documents that were poorly written, my immediate response was “next“. I didn’t have time to fool around with somebody who seemingly was willing to put their worst face forward.

Edit, Edit, Edit

There is nothing wrong with quickly creating a resume or a LinkedIn profile. It’s the first step. And only that. Jame Thurber was a famous writer of humorous novels. One day, he was laboring on his manuscript. His wife looked at it and said very frankly, “Hey, Thurber, this is not your best stuff.“

He looked at her and responded, “I knew it wasn’t my best stuff. Come on, give me a break. It’s only my third revision. By the fifth revision, it’s going to knock your socks off.” 

 It’s no disgrace to write a first draft, but it is a disgrace to put it out into the world before you’ve done your due diligence and made sure it is the best work that you are capable of. And make sure that they scream value!

Remember my grandmother’s lesson.

Make sure when you’re communicating with others in business that your words indicate a great deal of research and that they’re well worth reading. Apply this lesson to your résumé and your LinkedIn profile, and watch your results begin to improve.