It's not the resume that kills you

I've gone over my resume hundreds of times. While I'm sure that's an exaggeration, I feel that I have refined my resume to a pretty good point. Yes, there will be always room for improvements and tweaking, I look at it and feel that it's what I'd like to see if I was a hiring manager.  The real killer for me is the cover letter.

There are tons of websites out there with samples, templates, tips and recommendations. However, when you take the summation of them all, it seems like if anyone's resumes and letters would start sounding horribly bland.  Forgive me, but I'd hate to be on the receiving end of hundreds of "I want to work here because I'm an excellent worker" That maybe true, but your "I'm a great employee" sounds like this other guy's "I'm a great employee". That's why I'm committed to write my cover letters the way that I think and speak. It may not be traditional, but at least I think it'll make me standout and I hope that it'll match me to a like minded employer.

So who am I

As I've said in my previous post, this is for personal clarity, but anyone is invited to read along. Just don't be miffed if I don't address you directly or even sound like I'm talking to you, because I'm not. I'm talking to me. Trying to sort me out and get me moving.

This blog was made with the intended purpose of finding out who I am, or more specifically, what I am passionate about, especially in regards to work.

Growing up as a little kid, I was under the impression that there were only so many jobs in the world. Fireman, Doctor, Policeman, Teacher, Pilot and really that's about it. Then you move up to Academy and you get a slightly better idea, but not by much. It evolves to Fire Chief, Pediatric Doctor or Nurse, SWAT, Professor or K-12 teacher, Private or Airline pilot. Then college blows it out a little further. Lawyer, Pastor, Social Worker, Graphic Designer, Journalist etc. But once you get your diploma, put down your final textbook, you walk off campus and life smacks you upside the head with the almost infinite number of job titles. Did anyone go to school to become Regional Sales Director of the Southwest Mobile Connectivity Division? Anyone?
What I am struggling with personally at this moment is simply finding something that brings my life meaning and be good at in the same hand. What if I've been called to become a thermodynamic engineer but I didn't take the coursework in college because I didn't know such a thing existed? What if it is something I could've been good at, but because I don't have the paperwork or experience, no one's going to give me a chance?

They say to take a look at what you liked to do when you were a kid and that'll indicate what you should do when you grow up. I enjoyed building things and disassembling (read: destroy) them. Closest real life job that I could think of that doesn't involve physics (like the potential of the subject, but when I took it in HS, I started to analyze everything) was something to do with Legos. I also enjoyed Chess and strategy games in general. Keywords I get out of this little session: Kinectic, Physical, Strategic.

I'll come back and write soon. I've stepped away for too long last time.

And so we begin again

This is a slight continuation of my previous blog Copywriter's Randomness, or rather more of an offshoot. It's not necessary to look back at it, but if you wish to have a little more perspective on my thought patterns, go right ahead. I will say that there are quite a few typos and grammatical errors that exist in that previous pattern and I have toyed with the idea of going back and editing them, but then was unsure if the emotion of the moment, of when I sat down to type those entries, would be lost because of my striving for perfection. As such, I'll leave those alone and let them be as is, as I will do with this.

As I have gotten older, I've started to take a more introspective look at myself. I see more notes of my Grandmother and Father becoming more pervasive in me. My Grandmother seems to be set, as in she knows what she wants, how to go about life and she won't put up with anyone's sh*t. My father is still my role model. He's not as aggressive as Grandma, but I see that he contemplates what the world can be, what he can be and how things in general could be better. I am the manifestation of both personalities. I want the world to be a better place, to become a better person, but some of our (in very broad terms) inefficiencies infuriate me.

Speaking on my personal opinion and no other, a prime example would be corporations. Some businesses are too big to react to change quickly enough, and even though you may love the brand or the item and hate to see it disappear, it may be for the better. But why do that get to that point of inflexibility? The summation I believe would be greed. Not that money is, in itself, bad, but the love of money and the endless pursuit of more wears me out. Would I like to be richer? Sure, I'm not denying that. But I find it a bitter pill to swallow thinking that so few people control the vast majority of our day to day foundation of money. In this regards, I understand the position of the 99%. As a side note, I do admire the idealism of the OWS movement, but feel that their roadmap and goals aren't clearly focused.

Soapbox aside, this blog isn't about politics or economics. This is about me, my perspective and my experience. This isn't for any subscribers or followers or even notoriety. This is for my personal clarity first and possibly my legacy, if any, second.