Back to life, back to reality
Feb. 22nd, 2007 10:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cmdr_zoomor, my continuing lack of a day job.
I'm more of a night person than a morning person, and this only gets worse when I don't have a solid reason to get up on time day after day. So getting up at 7 this morning was unusual and not easy for me - but I did it, because attending this little workshop was required to keep getting my unemployment. And I'm glad I did, because I got a couple of technical errors with my online job-matching profile straightened out, and some questions answered, and a few more questions to think about, and information on some resources.
One thing that this morning really brought home to me is how much of applying, interviewing etc for a job is about sales. As I said recently to some friends, I hate sales. It's hard for me; I just don't have the knack, the confidence, the charisma. I know people who do, but not me. And there always seems to be an element of dishonesty in representing only the best qualities of a product (in this case, me) while omitting or glossing over any downsides, when the whole picture is a lot more grey. I am all about the qualifiers; "I'm not very ____, but I'm _____."
There's a part of me that wishes I could just be evaluated on my actual performance, or on word of mouth. And if that means I don't get the job, that's too bad, but it's better (IMO) than selling my prospective employer a phony bill of goods and having them be unsatisfied three months later when I've settled into a routine and the shiny's rubbed off.
As far as the job search goes, I'm still waiting to hear back from the library (the application window closed on the 9th, and when I called in to follow up, I was told it would be a couple of weeks to evaluate the apps). I'm reluctant to start seriously looking for legal secretary work until I know if that's going to happen or not. So since I don't want to be stuck between two committments, I just have to wait. At least I have the money, including unemployment, to stay "on hold" for a while.
But the workshop wasn't so bad, as I've said, and after I got out I went to the Albertson's next door. I was originally just going to see if they had any leftover Valentine candy (they did), maybe get a couple of other things, but it turned into actual shopping, which was kind of fun. I picked up some big cans of chili and ravioli from the discount rack, let the lady in the meat department sell me some delicious-smelling bacon (also on sale), got some lemonade and some pineapple juice (I am craving fruit, for vitamins I suppose), and topped it off with some tuna salad and hard-boiled eggs from the salad bar.
And now it's about a quarter past eleven, and what am I going to do with myself until tea this afternoon? I guess I could take a nap...
I'm more of a night person than a morning person, and this only gets worse when I don't have a solid reason to get up on time day after day. So getting up at 7 this morning was unusual and not easy for me - but I did it, because attending this little workshop was required to keep getting my unemployment. And I'm glad I did, because I got a couple of technical errors with my online job-matching profile straightened out, and some questions answered, and a few more questions to think about, and information on some resources.
One thing that this morning really brought home to me is how much of applying, interviewing etc for a job is about sales. As I said recently to some friends, I hate sales. It's hard for me; I just don't have the knack, the confidence, the charisma. I know people who do, but not me. And there always seems to be an element of dishonesty in representing only the best qualities of a product (in this case, me) while omitting or glossing over any downsides, when the whole picture is a lot more grey. I am all about the qualifiers; "I'm not very ____, but I'm _____."
There's a part of me that wishes I could just be evaluated on my actual performance, or on word of mouth. And if that means I don't get the job, that's too bad, but it's better (IMO) than selling my prospective employer a phony bill of goods and having them be unsatisfied three months later when I've settled into a routine and the shiny's rubbed off.
As far as the job search goes, I'm still waiting to hear back from the library (the application window closed on the 9th, and when I called in to follow up, I was told it would be a couple of weeks to evaluate the apps). I'm reluctant to start seriously looking for legal secretary work until I know if that's going to happen or not. So since I don't want to be stuck between two committments, I just have to wait. At least I have the money, including unemployment, to stay "on hold" for a while.
But the workshop wasn't so bad, as I've said, and after I got out I went to the Albertson's next door. I was originally just going to see if they had any leftover Valentine candy (they did), maybe get a couple of other things, but it turned into actual shopping, which was kind of fun. I picked up some big cans of chili and ravioli from the discount rack, let the lady in the meat department sell me some delicious-smelling bacon (also on sale), got some lemonade and some pineapple juice (I am craving fruit, for vitamins I suppose), and topped it off with some tuna salad and hard-boiled eggs from the salad bar.
And now it's about a quarter past eleven, and what am I going to do with myself until tea this afternoon? I guess I could take a nap...
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-22 07:31 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-22 08:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-26 01:52 pm (UTC)The key to job hunting is not to sell your prospective employer a phony bill of goods, but to explain WHY you're the best person for the job, and why the warts are insignificant. :P (Trust me. It took me YEARS to figure this out, but I'm much happier now that I have.)