Perfection Is Killing Your Job Search
I need you to hear this: Perfection is procrastination.
And for job seekers—especially those with ADHD—it's the single biggest reason you're stuck. You think that if you just keep tweaking your resume, rewriting your cover letter, or rewording that LinkedIn comment one more time… you'll finally land the job.
But that pursuit of "perfect"? It's keeping you in a loop of endless revisions and zero progress.
The Paradox of Perfection in an Imperfect System
Here's the truth no one tells you:
You're trying to be perfect in a system that isn't.
Job descriptions? Vague at best, unrealistic at worst.
Hiring managers? Often no idea what they want until they see it.
Recruiters? Overworked, filtering resumes in seconds based on gut instinct.
And yet, job seekers burn themselves out trying to create the "perfect" resume, the "perfect" LinkedIn profile, the "perfect" email response.
But perfection is an illusion—because only the person hiring knows what "perfect" looks like to them. And guess what? Even they change their minds. Because job searching with ADHD is different. And it's time we started talking about it.
Good Enough to Ship
Instead of chasing some imaginary version of perfect, I want you to embrace something radically different:
➝ The "good enough to ship" mindset.
It's simple. Instead of overthinking and delaying, you focus on getting things out there. When you stop obsessing over every little detail and just put your best reasonable effort forward, three powerful things happen:
You beat overthinking by forcing yourself to take action instead of analyzing.
You reduce overwhelm by setting clear limits on how much time you'll spend.
You make progress because instead of sitting in draft purgatory, you hit send.
How to Apply "Good Enough to Ship" Right Now
1) Limit your revisions.
➝ Your resume doesn't need a 50th tweak. Set a max of three rounds of edits, then send it.
2) Timebox your applications.
➝ Give yourself 30 minutes per application—no more. If it's not perfect, good. Hit send anyway.
3) Use timers and alarms.
➝ Set a timer for tasks like customizing a cover letter or leaving a thoughtful LinkedIn comment. When the alarm goes off, you're done. Timers don't just keep you on track—they create a sense of completion. (Dopamine hit, anyone?)
4) Comment before you overthink it.
➝ Saw a great post but feel like you have nothing insightful to add? Drop a quick, thoughtful comment anyway. You don't need to craft a masterpiece—just start engaging.
5) Focus on progress over polish.
➝ Instead of spending hours "perfecting" one job application, aim to send out three solid ones. Quantity leads to more opportunities—and more confidence.
6) Trust that action beats perfection.
➝ The people who get hired aren't always the most "perfect." They're the ones who actually put themselves out there.
Imperfection Is the Cure
Perfection is what's keeping you stuck. Imperfection is what sets you free.
So today, I want you to take one imperfect action.
Apply to a job before you feel 100% ready.
Send that DM message without rewriting it five times.
Drop a comment on LinkedIn without obsessing over every word.
Because done will always be better than perfect.
And the people who succeed?
They're the ones who ship.
