I've been submitting state applications at a pretty steady
pace for the past two months, and I feel like I finally have it down. There's a
learning curve just like anything else, of course, and a few friends have given
me some very helpful advice, but it's really been like having to learn a whole
new language, between the government-speak of the job descriptions and duty
statements, not to mention the alphabet soup of SSAs, SSMs, AGPAs, SOQs and KSAs... OMFG...
It occurred to me that being frustrated at what seemed to be
willful obfuscation was getting me nowhere fast. I needed to adjust my mindset
and look at the process like a puzzle, a cryptic code to be cracked. I was, after
all, dealing with words. So the game took on a new pattern: search the job
listings, read the descriptions to find what looked like it might be a good
fit, tweak the application and résumé to align with the duty statement and
submit. And repeat. And repeat again. Each time I run down the checklist and
think, this one is ready to go, and
hit submit or drop an application package into the mail, I experience a sense
of satisfaction that has nothing to do with the fact that my efforts may
eventually land me my next gig. It's about solving the puzzle. It's about
persevering and figuring it out. But I don't think I can add "state-speak" to
my skill set under Additional Languages...
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