Is Less...More?

As random thoughts go whirling through my mind, I consistently drop on this topic. From a professional coaching standpoint, one of the first things we tell clients it to get rid of the clutter. The thought being that the more you tolerate excessive stuff, the less energy you have for other more important things in your life. Furthermore, is less really more in your career as well?

Let's take for example a standard resume. Professional advice suggests that a resume should not be greater than 1 or 2 pages. This is for obvious reasons. Managers simply do not have the time to read about such things as your favorite 4th grade craft project. Also, you become more valuable if you can show that you are loyal to a company (a.k.a. you will stay for 4 - 5 years at a time). Here, less is definitely more, when you can demonstrate your heroic efforts with a few vital employers.

But, let's take this one step further. What if you recently received your MBA and you are trying to change career fields. Do you list the MBA if you are applying for a job that is a less-than-lateral move just so that you can get your foot in the door. Many people won't list the MBA on there resume in this situation. Again, there are obvious reasons for doing this. Possibly you do not want to take the chance that the hiring manager will assume that they cannot afford to hire you or you may fear intimidating the hiring manager altogether. The unfortunate thing is that a master's degree is a tremendous accomplishment, regardless of the motivation behind it. So, why should it be hidden?

One more area where less is more is in the interview process. Of course, you are required to engage in discussion about yourself, but the discussion necessitates that you be brief and concise. Again, this undoubtedly requires the speaker to omit details that could be helpful to the interviewed. There reasons for this exchange are numerous as well. But, I cannot help but think that in your career life...less is more.

So, if we eliminate the clutter, even in our careers and we open ourselves to further opportunities is that not just a new form of clutter that we are welcoming?