www.inkthinkerblog.com — I just read a great post over at Brave New Words about what to include in a letter of inquiry when you’re looking for work. Like Brett, I was surprised that the advice in “Just Be Honest” wasn’t as obvious to some as it is to others, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I think we pressure ourselves, and those who are trying to follow in our footsteps, into exaggeration because we’re afraid we’re just not good enough the way we are — and maybe because we’re afraid those following us will be better and we’d like to discourage them. Surely it’s not intentional, but there may be some subconscious stuff happening that is flying under the radar.
Brett says, “…please, do not pretend to be, do, or know more than is actually true. In other words, do not exaggerate or lie in any way. …Even one small lie can make things difficult for yourself and for others.” So, for instance, if you made coffee at the local paper as an administrative assistant, yes, you worked there, and you may have even worked in the newsroom, but that doesn’t make you a reporter. If you delivered newspapers every morning to drop points in your circulation, yes, you were involved in fulfillment, but you didn’t oversee fulfillment operations for a daily paper with a circulation of 100,000.
There’s a big difference between painting your experience in a positive light (you didn’t just make coffee — you also attended meetings, took notes, prepared summaries for the editorial staff, and communicated with the major editors of the paper on a regular basis) and flat out lying about it. Misleading potential employers and clients is a big mistake.
Read the whole article here.
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Yes, I think you’re right, Kristen, that some people just don’t think they’re good enough, and so they add some padding to their CVs/letters of inquiry/whatever. Beginning writers/translators/other freelancers might feel especially tempted to do this, but they should keep in mind that exaggeration may help in the short-term, but will probably just work against them in the long-term. So they should instead stress their willingness to work and learn, and keep in mind that it may be worthwhile to accept a few lower-paying or less exciting gigs in the beginning of their careers, in order to build up their CVs the honest way.
Best wishes,
Brett Epstein
http://brave-new-words.blogspot.com/
Thanks for stopping by to comment, Brett!
kk