notes from the salt mines
I'm revising job letters today; tomorrow I'll be preparing several packets of application materials to be mailed out Monday morning.
I dislike this process intensely. I have made no secret of my dislike; all my mentors and advisors, for example, know about it in excruciating and frequently profane detail. They have all pointed out, with varying degrees of soothingness or suck-it-upness, that nobody likes this process, that it can be very difficult to get into the mindset of selling oneself, etc.
It's quite true that selling oneself is a tedious, not to mention onerous, task. It's sent several of my friends and colleagues into profound depression (with or without manic overcompensation) because they're now doubting their abilities, credentials, etc. I've suffered through a bit of that myself, but honestly? I think my problem is only intermittently a lack of confidence. More often I struggle with the apathy induced by overconfidence: I'm so obviously fabulous that surely one quick reading of my letter and CV will be all it takes to convince half a dozen committees that they must interview me; so why am I messing around trying to transform the letter from solid to spectacular? Won't my native brilliance shine through anyway? Why can't I just go have a cookie?
It's going well, I suppose. Well enough, anyhow, that I can knock off soon and have some dinner (bisonburger!) and then settle in on the couch for a mini-marathon of Farscape.
Which I suppose is better than a cookie, really.
I dislike this process intensely. I have made no secret of my dislike; all my mentors and advisors, for example, know about it in excruciating and frequently profane detail. They have all pointed out, with varying degrees of soothingness or suck-it-upness, that nobody likes this process, that it can be very difficult to get into the mindset of selling oneself, etc.
It's quite true that selling oneself is a tedious, not to mention onerous, task. It's sent several of my friends and colleagues into profound depression (with or without manic overcompensation) because they're now doubting their abilities, credentials, etc. I've suffered through a bit of that myself, but honestly? I think my problem is only intermittently a lack of confidence. More often I struggle with the apathy induced by overconfidence: I'm so obviously fabulous that surely one quick reading of my letter and CV will be all it takes to convince half a dozen committees that they must interview me; so why am I messing around trying to transform the letter from solid to spectacular? Won't my native brilliance shine through anyway? Why can't I just go have a cookie?
It's going well, I suppose. Well enough, anyhow, that I can knock off soon and have some dinner (bisonburger!) and then settle in on the couch for a mini-marathon of Farscape.
Which I suppose is better than a cookie, really.