Job Hunting Stuff - What a Surprise!

[livingdeb]

Today I visited the weekly job club meeting because they had a guest speaker. One interesting thing she said was that hard skills get you hired, soft skills get you fired. (Of course she means lack of soft skills. I think it would be better to say they get you promoted, but that doesn't rhyme.)

Hard skills are the specific things people normally list on their resumes--skills with specific systems or issues. You should make sure to use terms that your intended audience would understand, of course. Soft skills are the more general ones like team skills, creativity, leadership, and enthusiasm. She recommends you use your soft skills as a lens to describe your hard skills so that both come through in your application and interview.

I'm not sure I'm going to get anything out of that. But I'm currently in a situation where I probably should. I'm applying for a job where my qualifications are obvious from my resume. So what do I put in my cover letter? Normally I'm trying to explain how my unrelated-seeming jobs are actually applicable. In this case, that feels patronizing (not to mention boring). So I should probably switch to some sort of strategy where I talk about how excited I would be to be using these exact same skills again in their very exciting new environment! Or something.

I walked to and from that job club meeting because it's only 1.5 miles away and it's a morning meeting. (And I can use exercise and should not be polluting the air and putting wear and tear on my car.) But I get quite sweaty in both directions (and chilled in the meeting, though I put on a jacket). I felt used up by later in the afternoon, so maybe I should cut it with walking there in the summer.

But maybe it was from the house being 83 degrees. I think perhaps I start to go a little comatose above 82 degrees. So instead of turning off the A/C when Robin leaves, maybe I should just turn it up to 82 degrees if I'm home. Then still turn it back down before he comes home.

I may switch to weekly updates when all I'm really doing is exercising, job hunting, reading, and hanging with Robin.

Comments

[texpenguin.livejournal.com]

My parents keep their house in the 80's during the summer, and then complain all summer about how they don't feel well. Todd won't even stay there during the summer, and it makes me feel bad as well. I'm not sure it's the actual temperature, though, but rather the temperature differential. If you're used to one temp, then go someplace with a drastically different temp (like walking outside to a heavily air conditioned meeting or changing your 70-something house to 80-something and back each day)it's going to throw your system for a loop.

[livingdeb.livejournal.com]

I can never just get used to a temperature in Austin--there's a lot of shadeless concrete outside and cranked up A/C inside. But I'm not willing to be in A/C at all times except when I'm running between a building and a car, so oh well, I'll have a loopy system.

I definitely turn into a blob when it gets too hot (or too cold) in the house and do think it's worth it to turn up the A/C (or heat) in order to maximize my real living time.

I also used to take all day to recover from ultimate frisbee--but I thought that was from the exertion rather than just getting hot. Actually I know it was--it happened in cold weather, too. And walking 1.5 miles in one direction, then sitting around for a couple of hours, then walking 1.5 miles again should not be a big deal (and does not feel like a big deal). So I'm hoping the problem was just the high indoor temperature and that I shouldn't give up on walking to this meeting if I go again.

On the other hand, I found out they record their presentations and post them on the web, so I could get that benefit without leaving home. I wouldn't hear all the other job opportunities, but I don't need that at this time. I wouldn't get a chance at the door prizes, but although they are above average for door prizes, that's not big loss. I wouldn't get any networking in, but that doesn't matter. I do kind of like when someone gets a job and gives us a little summary about how their job hunt went, though--I'd miss that.

Too bad about your parents' house in the summer! I'm definitely trying not to do that!