Forget all this nonsense about flashing resumes and writing letters and sending these, as a package, off to the four corners of the universe. Stop fishing: stop seeing what’s out there, casting a wide net, buckling your soul, waiting for daybreak.

Instead, turn the question around. Never done this before? Good. Barely heard of it but totally intrigued? Lovely. Forget pedantry and make the case, here and now. Show yourself. Be charismatic. Exhibit your virtues: eloquence, personability, charm, modesty, grace, judgment, cunning. After you’ve secured the project, the job, the fee, then relish the painful/pleasant experience of thinking in context, of thinking on your toes, of being alive.