The Eccentric Gazette

I think a helpful framework here for people who are struggling with this concept is that jobs are ALSO NOT BEING HONEST when they ask for certain qualifications.

Not consciously! Not as a nasty trick to catch you out! But because the question they are really asking is "Are You Going To Do This Job Good?" but they can't just ask that because there's no way to get an honest answer. INSTEAD they use "years of experience" and "skills" and "qualifications" to describe an imaginary person who they think would be good at the job, and then when you apply, they compare you against the imaginary person to find the person who fits the best.

HOWEVER. They are just fucking guessing, basically. They know that someone who checks every box on the list might still suck shit at the job, and they know that someone who checks like 1 box MAYBE could still be great at the job. It's just impossible for them to know until you're ON the job.

SO. if you are smart and skilled and good at telling a story about yourself, you can show up with your resume/cover letter and tell them "I don't LOOK like the imaginary person who would be good at the job if you just look at a list of my jobs, but let me explain how I have all the same TRAITS as that imaginary person, and I know it would be good at it." You're not lying, you're answering the question "Are you going to do this job good" and you're answering it ACCURATELY (hopefully) with "Yes, let me explain how."

For example - if a job asks for 1 - 2 years of experience in a professional office environment, what they are ACTUALLY asking is "do you know how to behave appropriately in a white collar office environment? Are you going to be chill with a dress code? Do you know not to cuss in front of clients? Can you sit down and work effectively at a computer for 8 hours?" And if you have been the receptionist at a hotel front desk or worked in a call center, u might think "Hell yeah, that's me," and apply even though a hotel front desk or a call center isn't technically an office environment.

What an unsurprising & completely expected turn of events that literally everyone saw coming 😮

But it can be reversed. Start small. If you hit this post then take 5 minutes to put your phone down in another room and do something. Do a crossword. Go for a walk. Be present! CBT is a hugely successful therapy for phone addiction and can even reverse the damage done to your brain.

Source

oh, Sisyphus! i got you