I, I, I is not so important

When my sons were little, my mother and my brother made a recording for them of bedtime stories. In one of them, she was reading a German prayer, “Ich bin klein”:

Ich bin klein
Mein Herz ist rein
Darf niemand drin wohnen als Jesus allein.

That translates to:

I am small
My heart is pure
Nobody may dwell in here but Jesus.

Right after that she explained the words, saying Ich means I and said I, I, I, is not so important.

I is not so important

I remembered that for years, my mother passed away in 2011 and my sons are in their 30s now. What my mother was trying to point out was that we don’t need to keep repeating I for people to understand our value.

Often in writing cover letters or LinkedIn Summaries, I think of my mom’s “I, I, I is not so important as I read paragraphs written with too many “I”s starting the sentences. This is when I rewrite to change the focus from I to more of a creative way to demonstrate value.

As you craft your story in your LinkedIn profile, check yourself. Are you inserting the word, “I” too often? Can you minimize the focus on you and still speak to your accomplishments?

If you need help crafting your messages in your resume and LinkedIn so that they are value-driven but not I-focused, let’s talk.