Feminist Pub 15: The Bluestocking hangs up its, err, stocking and hopes for a chatty Christmas and a Feminist New Year

[YonicSleighdriver]

Festive greetings!

This is the 15th incarnation of the Pub and is meant as a place to drop by with random thoughts and meandering chats, on feminist or other related themes. Anything you want to mull over but not necessarily start a thread about. Alternatively, get some booze and snacks and hang out! Lurkers, newbies and oldbies welcome.

We have a pub goat, a feminist cannon for firing at crazy sexists and we cheer each other up when patriarchy grinds us down...

Last pub drinkie linkie:

Pub 14

(Secret talk done ) a bit of a long shot but worth a try!

Would be happy to look at cover letter too but frankly, I'm shite at writing them so not sure I can help on that other than the most basic sanity checks. But I know how exciting/terrifying is when running for THE job (I'm looking at you, Google ) so happy to help in any capacity.

Annie I'll have a look as soon as the kids go to bed.

Would be happy to look at cover letter too but frankly, I'm shite at writing them

Yeah, but it's usually much easier to sort out other people's than your own.

I have hired (looking currently for one) and have been a project manager in the past. It's in IT but same schtick.

My criteria is "can they get shit done". A great project manager has a way of oiling their way past all obstacles. I don't care about beautiful Gantt charts and perfectly maintained issue/risk logs, I want someone who knows what's actually going on in their project and understands when to bring problems to my attention.

So if I go into interview and say "Hire me, I will Get Shit Done", then I'm a shoe-in?

If you could provide evidence, I'd hire you

Getting shit done is what project management is. All the stuff about plans and so on is just entry criteria, everyone can do that. It doesn't mean you can manage a project successfully.

Annie I'm not in science but read A LOT of job applications which require project management skills so let me know if I can help. My tip would be to structure the letter so that it follows the 'Essential Skills' list, heading each section accordingly. People shortlisting are checking that these requirements are met, and it predisposes me in their favour if they make it easy.

Thanks, EE. I think I've pretty much done that, but not necessarily in the right order but more in order of how skilled/experienced I am. So I will look at rearranging to follow the order of the job spec more closely.

Good luck Annie. It's so exciting! I'm quite jealous!

Fib - don't worry about Google. Used to know a few people who worked there. From what they said it's pretty much like any employer when you're down in the trenches. Especially one where head office is overseas. I am sure that there are jobs just as good out there for you

I'm going to say an early Happy New Year as I've decided to have a week's break from MN. Too many things are annoying me and getting me down recently. A wee break will be good for me.

Thanks, Penguins. This was a few years ago and funnily, I wasn't interested but they called me and asked me to do an interview and I was so flippant that I did it during my lunchtime . Next thing I know, I'm spending a full day there...just to then get rejected. And it's annoying because they want you to have just-recently-graduated knowledge (games theory, graph theory, etc.) but if you've been working for longer than ten years, you will either have specialised in something, so you'd fail four of the five interviews, or you will, like me, be a generalist, very good at running teams and overviewing architecture and technical direction but not so versed in the actual day to day coding anymore. And if I had known all of this, I just wouldn't have bothered.

Oh I just saw about your break from MN...oh well it was still good to get this rant out of my chest

Nah. Still here until bedtime .

Honestly, there is a reason they give you all that free food. Lovely though the free food is.

Oh, I quite like having an interview from time to time, to nose round other offices. (I know that's not meant to be the point of them.)

I like a good interview too, just to see how other schools work. Some are amazingly different to the one I work in.

Good luck with the application Annie, I'm sending you all the good vibes I can.

Sorry you feel like you need an mn break Penguins, we'll miss you

Happy new year, Penguins!

Happy New Year Penguins - have a good break.

Anyone got feminist or other New Year's Resolutions?

Mine is to shout at the kids less and exercise more.

I'm going to drink less and exercise more.

I do have feminist resolutions. I'm going to try not to judge women in a way that I wouldn't judge men, and (after uni course) read books by women.

Mine is to eat more healthily and exercise more. I'm not sure that's feminist at all because it's pretty much entirely about my appearance.

No, taking care of yourself is feminist (I mean 'taking care' in the health sense, not the revolting 'dye your hair and bleach your anus or your man will leave you' sense, obviously!). I actually think it is quite hard to do given there are so many anti-women messages to face every time you try to think about diet/exercise.

I'm going to try to be less self-destructive.

I am trapped in an IKEA car park with a sleeping child whilst the others shop and cannot listen to the radio as it does strange things to the car battery if the engine is off. so have revised my MN break to 'pub only'. Hope that's ok.

My resolutions are:

• to finally lose that 10kg of baby weight by Easter. My clothes will fit and I will have more energy.

• to MN on my phone around the (awake!!) children less. DD1 is already getting so big and it is one of the million ways I don't pay enough attention;

-to do another six months of reading only novels by women. I read so avidly when I did it before.

2015 is also the year to sort out my career thinking, but that isn't a resolution as such as it is likely to get into gear later in the year as the Chick gets a bit bigger.

Ooh, I'm glad I get to say hi before you go on that break for proper (if you decide to).

Good luck with your resolutions.

I will try to join you in the novels by women.

Wasn't it Audre Lorde who said that taking care of oneself is a revolutionary act?

Enjoy your break Penguins.

I'm going to really improve my nutrition this year. I've had hormonal problems forever and going on a vegan diet has made wonders for my health, but then I fall off the wagon and drink and eat sugar by the poundful and everything gets worse again.

I'm going back to work and going to find the right role for me.

I'm going to improve my knowledge of the business so I can get on track for the next promotion.

Feministely speaking, I'd like to mentor more women at work. And hire them too, and help them develop.