With the recent milestone of all my children becoming school aged, I decided it may be smart to look for a job outside of the home. A friend of mine informed me that the small private school her children attended was looking for an Art Teacher and thought it would be a great fit for me. While I do not have an art degree and have never formally taught art, I had that sparkly feeling every time I thought about the possibility. So, I spend many nights at the computer until well into the wee hours of the morning, working on a resume and cover letter. I decided to be real, to be brave and give it a shot. Because, if you never go after what you want, you certainly will never attain it, right? Below I present to you the actual cover letter that I hand delivered with my resume, in my best, pretend you are an Art Teacher outfit, to the school.

Dear Mrs. Bentz,

I heard with interest about the need for an Art Teacher at your school this year. I believe I possess the necessary skills and experience you are seeking and would make a valuable addition to your school.

As my resume indicates, I possess many years of experience in many fields and in both paid and volunteer positions, but, I want to take this time to be genuine with you, it’s been a long time since I worked on my resume, over 12 years actually, and to be honest the task was leaving me feeling a little overwhelmed. I wondered, can I just say, “I spent most of the last decade in my minivan, surviving on cheese sticks and goldfish crackers, became really good at birthing babies and multitasking like a boss, all while being a volunteering champion and a  hot glue gun mastermind, whose secret power is solving people’s dinnertime dilemmas?” Not sure that is exactly the skill set any employer would be looking for, but I am sure it has all come in handy in this thing called life.

As a full-time wife and mother, as well as a self-employed business owner, one of the biggest perks is the freedom of being able to control your own schedule, to an extent. That freedom has blessed me with choices. I have been afforded the most valuable of choices, which was to be at home with my four children as they grew from infants to toddlers, then to preschoolers and now to school aged children. This time working from home has provided me the gift of volunteering in their classrooms, as well as on the boards of the PTA’s at their schools. It has brought a blessing of a part-time position in Children’s Ministry, with the gift of planning and organizing events that brought children closer to God. It has offered me the honor of coaching Girls on the Run teams for several seasons and spending time building up the self-esteem and social awareness of the girls on these teams. My form of income, working in direct sales, for the last decade plus, as allowed me to build a team, providing an opportunity to encourage others and showcase belief in them and their goals, to cheer them on when they grow weary.

Not once during the past 10 years did I think I was missing out. Not once did I stop to think, “what on earth will I put on my resume when the time comes to write one?” Or, “How will I ever find another job again?” I did not feel that I sacrificed my career when I chose another that allowed me to be present in my home, with my children. I only saw opportunities and blessings that would one day prepare me for what came next, for when they grew up enough to all attend school. It has prepared me to sit here now and be brave enough to apply for the Art Teacher position at your school.

While I do have two Bachelor’s degrees and a Masters of Fine Arts that is not why I feel that I am the best candidate for this job. I feel I can make a difference in your school through creative expression. I may not be an award-winning painter or sculptor, but I do believe that if given the opportunity, I can show the children inside the walls of your school how to come alive through art.

Please review the resume I have prepared for you, but I also encourage you to visit my Pintrest page. While chatting with my husband about this job, I asked if he thought I would be qualified. He suggested I share my Pintrest account and let it be known that not only do I love pinning crafts and creative projects, I have actually completed about 97.3% of what has been pinned. Partly in humor, but more in good faith, I am providing the link. https://www.pinterest.com/jenncsord/

I love to make all kinds of art, for all ages, and feel that life has prepared me to re-enter the work force with a sense of purpose, and this job is in perfect alignment with my passion and mission statement. Thank you for taking the time to review my application and I look forward to seeing what’s next

Sincerely,

Jenn

Unfortunately the position had already been filled prior to me dropping off this gem, but there is something to be said about this experience. It was bolder than I am used to being, bit for the first time in way too long I was authentically myself and it felt incredibly amazing.