Dear Prospective Job,
Don’t be a tease. This seems like a perfect fit. You and me. I want a full time job with benefits, and you’re a full time job with benefits. I have a fairly narrow skill set, and you have very specific needs which I actually can accomplish. I’d rather not go to a completely different workplace, and you’re a promotion, not a change of location. Doesn’t it seem like we were made for each other?
I know it doesn’t work that way, though. You probably have needs I know nothing about. Quotas and extenuating circumstances, and so I wait and wonder.
I’ve already started to prepare myself for when you turn your back; after all, I’ll still be here, seeing you every day. I don’t want to spend the rest of my year pining for something I can’t have, so I tell myself I’m braced and ready. But who’s ever ready for rejection?
They say the opposite of love is not hate. It’s apathy. So when being rejected doesn’t hurt maybe it doesn’t mean we have tough skin and are strong, but rather we didn’t really care in the first place. Well, I care. It’s going to hurt if you don’t want me.
A few years ago I made it to the top three applicants for a writing job that seemed like a dream come true. There were tests and interviews, a swanky office downtown, and a built-in platform for me to share truth and cultivate other writers to do the same. But that didn’t work out. I didn’t make the cut, and it hurt big. Now, looking back, I’m okay with it hurting big. I threw myself into it, and at least I know I gave it my best shot.
I’ve shied away from pushing myself on you. But that’s about to change. Self-promotion isn’t easy for me. I tend to see all the reasons why you shouldn’t want me, but it’s time to stop being falsely humble and be realistic. Take a good look at me. Of course, I’m a great fit for you.
And if I don’t get this job, if the answer is “we picked someone else,” then I’m in good company. With today’s economy, there are a lot of wonderfully talented, smart, strong people who’ve found themselves without a full time job. We will not give up. And although we may get rejected and discouraged, we have someone on our side who has a plan for us.
This road is not an easy one, but we are fighters. Our jobs do not define us. All of this “suffering” is developing perseverance in us, and this perseverance builds our character. And our character gives us hope, a hope that won’t disappoint, because God has poured out his love into our hearts, and we are not alone.
So, Prospective Job, I’m here. The application has been made. The resume submitted. The cover letter composed. It’s your turn to make a move. I’m ready.
Peace!
