Ask A Progeek: Overqualification

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Ah, the job search.  We usually like to think that we can totally ace the requirements and have the perfect personality and then some.  We’re ready to overdo it . . .

. . . but you can overdo it can’t you?  That’s what this week’s Ask A Progeek is about.  The question submitted to me is:

When applying for a job, I don’t simply want to show them I meet their expectations – I want to show how I exceed them.  However, there is also the trouble of being considered overqualified.  How do I stand out without disqualifying myself?

This is a difficult issue mostly because of the fear of over qualification.  It’s a big issue in the news as people grasp to explain why so many folks have trouble finding jobs (short answer: economy sucks, you’re an idiot for asking).    So the first question is – is this actually a worry?

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Potato and Garlic Soup

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A little variant of a recipe I got out of a Mediterranean cookbook.

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, sliced thin
  • 2 Tbsp crushed garlic (about 4 cloves)
  • 1 large potato, sliced thin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 14 oz can chopped tomatoes, drained (about 1 1/2 cups tomatoes)
  • 1 tap dried basil
  • 3 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
  • salt and pepper to taste

1) Put onions, garlic, potatoes, paprika and oil into pot.  Sautee until the onions begin to soften.  Don’t overheat.
3) Add tomatoes, basil, vegetable stock.   Simmer for 20-30 minutes until potatoes are very soft.
4) With a spatula or large spoon, break potatoes up, thickening the broth.
5) Serve with salt and paper.

The result?

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You Know, Sometime I Want To Say “Enough”

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I love e-publishing and self-publishing.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Lulu, and Nook, and I own a Kindle.  I’m glad I can sell books via e-Junkie.  I’m even glad to take a look at Ganxy, the new e-pub/promote service (look for a review).

But know what?  It’s now getting just a little insane.  OK insaner.  I had a lot of tolerance for all these options, but I think that we’ve reached the point where, unless you dedicate a lot of time figuring out what the best way to publish your book is, you’re taking shots in the dark (or spending all your time formatting, not writing).

Every time I look at my next book or my plans for minibooks, I find some new service, some new question, some new issue to address.  Sure I can experiment with all of them – in fact that’s part of what I do for here – but it’s getting a little frustrating by now.

I’d like to find a clear way to get distrubition, a clear way to format, some way to manage to get this all done without having to use 3 or 4 services, or how that service-to-service opportunities don’t mangle your book.  I’d like some sanity.

But as our own Serdar told me when we discussed this, that was called “A bookstore.”

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.fantopro.com/, nerd and geek culture at http://www.nerdcaliber.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.