Making Oneself Sound Like a Superhero

I am applying for a position that is non-academic, because I saw the ad and thought, "Whoa. I can do that!" What I am stymied by, however, is the amount of work it takes to reorganize my CV to make it into a resume, and to write a one-page cover letter that's all buzzwords and catchy phrases.

I can submit a CV and cover letter as arid as the desert and still get an academic interview. Since the Canadian scientific community is a small one, everyone who's got any interest in the fact knows full well that I'm not working, that I didn't get the other position I applied for and was expected to get, and that the other position at another nearby university is also perfect for me. That doesn't mean that I'm the only candidate who's suitable for the job, it only means that many people know that I've applied for the job and could fit in well, even though the department is known to be difficult.

Applying for a non-academic position (in this case it's with the provincial government, which is as close to academic as you can get....except for maybe the federal government) is a completely different hairball of wax. The position itself doesn't indicate that you need any special degrees, so I moved the education part of my newly-created resume to the end of the document. No need to frighten the masses with my degrees, although quite frankly I'm not so impressed by them. That's my own self-deprecation talking, and it talks loudly. Do I put a placating sentence in the cover letter, asking them to not be threatened by the fact that I have a PhD? That probably sounds condescending, but people without a PhD think that a big degree is a big deal. Quite frankly, I completed that degree because there was no choice for me, I was driven to do it and I loved my work. It's just something I did, just like there are some people who skydive or spend weeks on a boat; I wouldn't go near these things. Obtaining a PhD doesn't make one freakishly smart, and when talking to me you wouldn't necessarily know that I have one unless you happened upon my area of expertise. I don't think it should be an issue for this job, but I suspect it will be.

I am also having a great deal of difficulty making myself sound fantastic in one page. I use too many words ... yes, I know, this is a surprise. I have a ton of experience that indicates that I can do this job, and yet picking one thing to illustrate that has become a chore. How does one show that they can solve all the inherent problems in a governmental department (it's a management position)? For example, prove that you can work with people from many different levels and get them on the same page for a particular issue so that you can move forward. I've done that more than once. Prove that you've done curriculum development and implemented training strategies, you know a lot about adult learners although you won't be doing the teaching, you'll be implementing the teaching, prove prove prove, and yet do it in a short amount of space and then make your resume fill in the blanks. It's not as easy as it seems, and I've coached other people on these issues but applying them to my own situation is much more difficult.

Why is it difficult for me? It's not like I don't know the answer to that: I hate making myself sound amazing. I think we're all amazing and that I'm not more amazing than anyone else. While this equitable thinking is great for day-to-day existence, it sucks when you're trying to get a job where no one knows you.

I have until Monday to put this thing together, and I've already been slogging on it for a couple of days now. I tend to think a lot and then write in bursts, rather than sit and agonize over every word. I'm waiting for some kind of divine intervention perhaps, although I don't believe in that kind of thing and mostly just wait until the words come together in a perfect way in my head. They usually do this, but often at the eleventh hour. Without the increasing pressure of a deadline, I'm a blank, and as the deadline approaches I am more and more motivated to eloquence. I hope.