Unachievable greatness

21% of Cambridge’s students have been diagnosed with a depression last year, according to the Guardian. Another 25% of Cambridge’s students suspects to be depressed. This English city is the ultimate place to meet for perfectionists and the extreme ambitious. This is where the world’s most intelligent students meet one another. But when everyone is smart, being smart doesn’t mean very much. Whizz kids are only average in Cambridge.

At NEXT, we meet similar perfectionists, achievers and careers hunters. I’ve met people that were great at what they do, but not great enough (in their words). These students firmly believe that their CV’s are not interesting enough. Because the competition is ahead, with more knowledge, better grades and more experience. More than other students, these students ponder the future. Thinking about your future is only healthy. But don’t let thinking become worrying. This is a call to the students that just won’t put down their work. It’s a request to change perspectives.

Highs and lows

You’ll have to make certain steps to find a job you’ll love. But don’t overdo it. The perfect CV doesn’t exist, and you’re not expected to have one. There will be times when things just couldn’t go better. Times packed with great jobs, good grades and extracurricular courses. At other times, you’ll feel demotivated. Which is perfectly normal. It’s impossible to continuously achieve great things, which is something you’ll have to accept.

Expectations of employees

Luckily, most employees are not looking for a true genius. Most often, employees look for someone they can count on for the future. An applicant with knowledge, but with an open mindedness that supports learning. Someone that fits the team. Employees don’t expect you to have a CV that is simply a chronological list of successes.

The best approach

It’s good to have the self knowledge that allows you to see why you’ve made certain choices in your life. The arguments that explain why you’ve chosen to learn more about one thing instead of the other are more important than the number of elements in your CV. Some students strive to be good at everything they do (which, sometimes, is nearly everything). It’s an impossible wish that won’t be fulfilled. A proper CV contains elements that go well with each other. Such a CV shows that you have a clear vision, which is the key aspect of a great CV. A great CV is never about quantity, and always about quality. A quite important thing to remember. But perhaps even more important is to try to not end up like one of the many Cambridge students that aim a little too high.