CVs and Interviews

My Bearded Muse

My betrothed and I have been talking, as it should be. He has become my bearded muse for this week's topic. He says he can't afford me not contributing to the household at all. So, I have to keep on working at least part-time if not full-time. I have a decent paying part-time job as an educational interpreter. I interpret lectures at the university from Afrikaans to English; and I am pretty good at it...not amazing...but pretty good :). My manager announced that from this year on we will have to reapply for our own jobs each year. This is something new and not so nice. I have to hand in a CV and go for an interview tomorrow! Thus my bearded muse suggested a discussion on CVs and interviews.

CVs

I don't know about you people, but I hate writing my CV or even updating my CV. I always feel like I am lying. Perhaps you are some of those people with strong German blood who update their CV every three months and keep every single payslip and contract you ever signed, but I am a bit happy-go-lucky... with a guilty conscience. I never remember which month I started working at a job and what month I stopped. To make things even more unbearable, I did not finish school in a traditional schooling system and CVs always require subjects, marks, and school achievements. I have lost my original high school diploma and the laptop with an electronic copy of my marks has been stolen. So I decided on a resume instead of a CV. I listed only my tertiary accomplishments of which I only remember the academics, with the extra activities and leadership I tend to forget what I did and when I did them... and it also never seems relevant to me to the job I am applying for; so I leave them. I did put in interests and some hobbies, but they always seem pathetic and airy-fairy to me. They are things like reading and writing poetry, arts and crafts, volunteering and missionary work. I think the things they are looking for should be relevant to the job and uber-leadership-like; so for interpreting it should be "published part-time author", "award winning motivational speaker", and "reading dictionaries". I wish I was as cool as I think they want me to be. That is the feeling I am left with when writing a CV. No wonder people get paid to do this for you, but I will probably never pay for someone to write my CV. Be brave, save money, get an internet template, write it.

Interviews

Ah, the power to impress in person. I don't have it. First impressions and I are not friends. Lucky for me, the interview I am facing this time is with people I have worked for for three years. This is good and bad. Good, because they know well how I can benefit their endeavor; and bad, because they know my professional weaknesses as well. An interview gives them the power to easily say that they will not be hiring me again. I think I will get some negative feedback in my interview because I do do "important" admin wrong or forget about it totally from time to time; but I do think I will be rehired as I produce, what they call, a relatively good quality "interpreting product".

Betrothed, being a professional mathematician, loves it when thing are so practical that it becomes ridiculous; so sent him this cartoon on 9GAG about an honest interview: http://9gag.com/gag/aQppBXz?ref=fb.s

It is quite funny. I wish I was allowed to say that in interviews; it would be so much easier.

To Endings and New Beginnings

So, here's to my wedding being exactly a month away. Here's to being with betrothed, my bearded muse, as more than just friends for 3 years 2 months and 2 days today. Here's to me re-deciding what I want to do for a living; and here's to acing the interview tomorrow and handing in a satisfactory CV. I will let you know what happened. Be blessed!