Perfectionism Can Hurt Your Career

Episode 28 - How Perfectionism Can Hurt Your Career and What to Do About It, With Lynne Cazaly

Since I decided to start a podcast, Lynne Cazaly was on the top of my list of potential guests. Something about her leadership style, her unassuming way, and the quiet confidence that she exudes make her the perfect guest speaker. Last year, while trying to lock her in to record this episode, she was the hardest guest to pin down: she was in such high demand as a conference speaker; she was never in Melbourne long enough for us to get together. With COVID and quarantine, life has changed, we zoomed in, and finally, we had our chat a few weeks ago.

Lynne's training and speaking gigs have included working for the largest organizations in Australia, like Telstra, Australia Post, nab, CBA, and the AFL. She regularly travels to New Zealand, where she has a loyal following and delivers training and keynotes. Lynne has also done keynotes, workshops, and training in Europe, USA, and Asia.

Her latest book, ish: The Problem with our Pursuit for Perfection and the Life-Changing Practice of Good Enough, got a lot of media attention. Lynne was interviewed extensively on TV and in magazines. The topic of Perfectionism is one that everyone can relate to, and for that reason, I was able to see my friend in many morning TV shows over many weeks!

In this interview, we have pivoted the discussion about Perfectionism to focus mainly on career planning, job hunting, and the selection and recruitment process. A "perfect" resume, a "perfect" match for the critical selection criteria, giving the "perfect" answer to an interview question, "the perfect" job, being the "perfect" candidate" - these are sayings we throw around all the time while job hunting. But they do impact our mindset and create an expectation that is unhealthy, unhelpful, and not sustainable. After listening to this episode, I hope that you will feel free from "perfectionism" and ready to embrace "good enough"!

Resources mentioned in this episode

Interview time stamps

Transcript of this episode

About the Host

Hello, I’m Renata Bernarde, the Host of The Job Hunting Podcast. I’m also an executive coach, job hunting expert, and career strategist. I teach professionals (corporate, non-profit, and public) the steps and frameworks to help them find great jobs, change, and advance their careers with confidence and less stress.

If you are an ambitious professional who is keen to develop a robust career plan, if you are looking to find your next job or promotion, or if you want to keep a finger on the pulse of the job market so that when you are ready, and an opportunity arises, you can hit the ground running, then this podcast is for you.

In addition to The Job Hunting Podcast, on my website, I have developed a range of courses and services for professionals in career or job transition. And, of course, I also coach private clients.