FTP 56 - Learning

And yet society has taught us, these days, that we should fear failure. There is a difference between striving for success, and being so wary of someone else finding out that we fail- an integral part of reaching successfulness- that you don't even try. 

Buck society, try new things, fall on your face, pick yourself up, and keep going. There is more shame in stagnation and backwardness (in my opinion) than in trying and failing until you make it happen. Cheers!

Job search, part 3 - Interviews

     I suspect that I am not alone when saying that interviews are stressful. You have a limited amount of time, sitting in a room with strangers, to explain how you work and how you can directly benefit them while trying not to sound like a braggart or a liar. While there is some prep work that you can (and definitely should) do, such as researching the company website and re-reading the job posting before you go so you know what, specifically, they're looking for, it's still being put on the spot.

     For the longest time, I approached interviews as one would an interrogation: prepared to answer any question, and slightly suspicious of ulterior motives help by those in charge. It wasn't until I moved out to Colorado and went to an interview while tired and jet-lagged that I realized I was doing myself a disservice by approaching it thusly. In that interview, I just acted like myself, said what crossed my mind, and actually took one of the interviewers to task for asking insulting questions in a snide tone of voice. I was later informed that he did that to everyone, and only people who stood up to him and didn't take his crap were hired. I don't think that's a particularly great way to conduct an interview, but it helped me realize I needed to change my view.

Delay til Tuesday

Still working on getting my schedule worked out, so today's post is going to be posted tomorrow. There may be some changes to the posting schedule in the future, but for now, it's just one day behind. See you tomorrow!

For now, just remember it could be worse; your day could be something like this:

Cheers!

FTP 55 - Weird

     Remember Disney's version of Alice in Wonderland? While it wasn't quite faithful to the book (what movie ever is?), I remember being amazed at how many little details of weirdness they put in it, and wondering why Alice didn't want to stop and check them all out.

But realistically, when life gets weird, sometimes all you can do is keep going, try to keep your head above water, and hope that you reach the end before your ability to deal with it all runs out. Accept that life is bizarre, shake your head that it's happening to you, and keep going. Eventually, things will return to normal, and you'll have some fantastic stories to tell. 

Job search, part 2.

     Last week, we talked about the frustration of finding jobs to apply for, given financial considerations and employer expectations. Regardless of what you are looking for, however- with the possible exception of an "I'm a millionaire and just need something to pass the time" situation- I think that having to look for a job at all is a rather depressing situation. Because let's face it, what you're trying to do is sell yourself and your past to someone who has a whole slew of people clamoring to do the same. And while you know that you're awesome, intelligent, and a much better choice for that position (you hope) than anyone else, they don't. For those of us who aren't natural-born salesmen, that's a problem.

     Despite my ability to describe other things fairly well (and the fact that I write a blog about myself on a regular basis...), I abhor the whole "talk yourself up" thing. Part of this is that I hold myself to some pretty high standards, but since I've done it for so long, what is "normal" to me (and therefor not worth mention) is worth mentioning to others. I've gotten compliments at various workplaces before about "Wow, you got that done well before it was expected!" or "Why did you admit to making a mistake? No one wanted to deal with the cleanup there?" and stuff like that. The thing is, those are just standard for me: doing things ahead of schedule- or on time at the latest- and owning up to your mistakes (so you can learn from them and help the people who were affected by them) are standards, baselines, ordinary things that are done everyday just because they're the right thing to do. But how do you get that across?

FTP 54 - Sometimes

     Sometimes, all you can do is sit down, take a deep breath, and remind yourself that none of the drastic ideas in your head are good: the best thing you can do is be patient, and keep at it. It's not always easy, but it's always true.

Well, unless you're James Bond. Then drastic measures are probably good. Shy of that though, go with the deep breath. 

Job search, part 1

Recent checklist: 

     -Graduation? Done

     -Move? Done

     -Help out a friend (which I'd been promising for years)? Done

     -Settled into the new place? Done

     -Job? ....... well........

     There's something horribly depression about looking for a job, and it's not just that the current economy is pretty nasty. It seems like, no matter how many times you have to do it, and regardless of what new level of education/ experience/ skill set you have, job hunting is mentally and emotionally wearing. When I was younger, I figured that it was just due to lack of skills and experience, and it would get easier as I got older. Then before I went to college, I figured it was a lack of that pretty little paper saying you're horribly in debt (no, I'm not cynical at all), because the most random jobs were looking for it. Want to be an insurance agent? Need a diploma. Want to be a delivery person? Need a diploma. Want to wash elephant feet after parades? Need a diploma. Really? Wow.

Late, again

     Sorry guys, today's post is going to go up on Tuesday. Been reworking the schedule, and missed the deadline. Since, however, I have been dealing with the job-hunt depression, it will be a real one, not a "wah, woe is me, I have no job" whine. In the meantime, here's my excuse. See you tomorrow!

FTP 53 - Connections

     A couple years ago, I was randomly browsing the internet and came across this picture:

It really made me smile, and I kept it around, pulling it out every now and then when I really needed a smile. I think it's the concept that, no matter who you are, you can make someone's day by taking a moment and letting them learn, explore, try something new, or expand their horizons. And even if it's something that you deal with every day, and it has become blasé to you, you can still be happy, watching them delight in whatever it is.

     Things like this are what keep us all human, and let us connect to each other. The two people in the picture are pretty radically different, but they shared this moment, and it continues to touch others. Keep that in mind the next time someone is eyeing you, or you see someone with whom you think you couldn't possibly have anything in common- you may just be surprised. 

Monday

     The past two weeks have been ridiculously busy, so I'm just going to admit that I have nothing prepared for today. The only big news is that the job hunt continues with no major breakthroughs, and that Maryland is a ridiculously expensive state to live in. Whee!

Hope your week goes well!