So, my job. What's going on with that, you ask. Well, there's basically no news.
I apply relentlessly. I get interviews. I have had probably a dozen interviews. I've been called back on three or four second interviews. And then I get the phone call that they have chosen another candidate. (I have another second round, in-person interview on Friday. With a teaching demo. I really am looking.)
But, it is getting to the point where I'm starting to wonder if it is me. I'm strange, I'm blunt, my skills aren't in demand, my work history is weak, I don't know the right answers. I hear about what a great job market it is for job seekers, but that doesn't seem to be the case for me. I will keep on plugging away, but every additional rejection is a bit of a my optimism chipped away.
In the meantime, I have less than two weeks left in my current position and then it will be gone. We'll be fine, of course, while I continue looking. But it's not ideal, you know?
I'm really sorry you've been through such a ringer - between disliking your current job so much and then struggling to find a replacement. Finding a new job is tough, and you have great skills that will shine...it just takes finding the right fit and that can be so, so hard.
ReplyDeleteYou are doing all the right things and that includes being yourself - nothing would be worse than putting on a different persona and then HATING the position. I desperately hope you find something you love. Keep up hope, my friend - though I realize this whole process is discouraging.
Everything could change in an instant when you find the right match. Fingers crossed that happens ASAP.
I'm trying to keep in mind that I'm also interviewing the organizations where I'm applying because I don't necessarily want to end up in another job where I'm unhappy. I was turned down by one job and all I felt was an immense relief because I didn't WANT that job, but if it had been offered to me, I might have felt obliged to take it. So, you're right. Hopefully that right match will come right along and it will work for all parties involved.
DeleteI'm so sorry, this all sucks.
ReplyDeleteThank you. It could be way worse, of course, so I'm trying to remember that.
DeleteIt's not you. That's just a fact.
ReplyDeleteFeel good that you are getting interviews - that means that there is work in your field and that you're an attractive candidate. All that the rejections mean is that someone else is off the market.
Good luck next Friday!
I do try to remind myself that getting interviews is a good sign. Fingers crossed one of these interviews becomes productive.
DeleteLooking for a job is SO hard, and it sucks when you're not getting positions after interviewing. (It may be better than not getting interviews at all, but it sure doesn't feel that way at the time.) The right job is going to come along, I know it will; deep breaths.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the reminder to breathe. It IS an important way to stay calm throughout all of this.
DeleteI know they’re not rejections, but they feel like that, and they are hard to take.
ReplyDeleteYou're right - they're not rejections of me personally, just that someone else is a better fit for one reason or another.
DeleteGood luck! I'm sure the right thing is out there. You'll find it eventually!
ReplyDeleteI have sat in on several interviews in the last year for new candidates in our department, and I will say.... people like a likeable person. And as a human being, it is impossible to not form a first impression of someone. I'm not saying you should change who you are at all, but maybe just keep that in mind? Or try to keep your fatigue with interviewing or general disdain for the process like, off your face, if you can. hahah. (I'm sure it's hard!)
I also would say some bluntness in an interview is ok, but probably within reason.....maybe be careful to not come across as "snarky" or anything like that, because I think in a professional setting that may be a big turn off. (Okay, I am not calling you snarky! But I hope you know what I mean. Sometimes when we're a little nervous, we can come across a bit differently than we intend to, that's all.) And I know in an interview I would probably be wary of someone who is highly and very openly opinionated on everything, since we need to be pretty neutral and open to all people and all views, etc in the workplace. Again, NOT saying you do this, but I do think very blunt people can come across as rather abrasive- which may not sit well with people in terms of "likability". I really hope you don't take offense to this!! I don't mean any. Not saying you should change who you are for an interview at all! But just that most jobs inevitably do require a "people"/social aspect, and people need to feel that the person will be able to gel well and work well with the rest of the team in order to be successful- both for the employee's satisfaction and the team/company as a whole.
Wishing you the best of luck! I know it will pan out eventually, and when you find the perfect thing, you'll be happy the others didn't work out. (I can imagine it is an EXTREMELY frustrating process though- and likely feels like one that will "never end". :( )
My husband and I talk about this a lot and we've decided that my best way forward is just to be myself. If I interview with a different personality that I normally have, it's all going to fall apart in the first few days I'm at work. So I interview as myself. I generally am "likeable" and the bits of feedback that I've gotten about my interviewing indicate that I interview well (connect well with others, know the "right" things to say, etc.). In each case, it's just been that someone else in the pool of candidates has a slightly better skillset for the job than I have. I don't necessarily come off as abrasive or even snarky (although that might be hard for my readers to believe!), but confident women who are honest sometimes come off differently than if they had been men. Anyway, I have thought through all of this (I promise!) and we really have come down to the strategy of just being myself rather than putting on a facade.
DeleteI appreciate your perspective as someone who is interviewing, though. I definitely don't want everyone on the interviewing committee to know that I'm sick of interviews, that is for sure!
Can I object to this particular content beneath this particular title? If so, I object! Obviously, I completely understand how it FEELS like a failure to have not found a job, but it truly is not. Frustrating, disheartening, anxiety-producing -- yes. But it's not a failure, anymore that putting the wrong puzzle piece into the wrong space on a puzzle is that piece's failure. You are brilliant and you will find a job. Hang in there.
ReplyDeleteHa! I debated about the "Failure" label, but I decided it would be better to make my job search a failure rather than Hannah's less than stellar behavior with the cat, which is a minor complaint and not really a failure on her part (especially since I'm so happy she's feeling better). Thank you for the pep talk. I will keep reminding myself of the puzzle piece analogy because it really resonates with me.
DeleteWell, I'm reading all the comments here with great interest. I have no experience with this kind of job-hunting. As a musician, jobs are gotten through an audition or word-of-mouth recommendations. in my current job as a massage therapist, I did have an interview but the main thing was that I had to give a massage (so again, kind of like an audition.) I wish I had words of wisdom for you, but all I can say is- things will work out. I know it's probably stressful- hang in there.
ReplyDeleteThings will work out, of course. Fingers crossed that's soon, though! I'm quite exhausted by the process.
DeleteKeep an open mind and hang in there?! I hope the right fit will come around soon. It sounds really hard. Besides my very first job I never had to do an application in the classical sense since it was always through word of mouth and recommendation.
ReplyDeleteIt IS crazy how many times we get jobs through connections, isn't it? That's how I've gotten a lot of my jobs, too, so going through this is a reminder that without our social networks, things are very hard.
DeleteJob hunting can be so very demoralizing, I am sorry. I think the only thing worse might be on-line dating, though I haven't tried that myself so not sure. I have had similar situation to the one you are in, however, and it's very stressful and can FEEL like a failure. You have not failed just because the right fit hasn't been there yet. Sometimes what a hiring manager may be looking for, in addition to your qualifications, is whether you are a good fit with the rest of the team. That is impossible to game out, because you don't know the people who are the rest of the team, you don't know the strengths and weaknesses that already exist and how you might improve the situation by joining. You don't need every job, you just need one. Hang in there, and keep the faith. My wish for you is that you find a job that is an excellent fit, with a team you adore, and of course that it would pay even more than you want. Perfect.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate this, I really do. You're right, this isn't necessarily a failure, but it is hard and challenging. I hope I find the perfect job, too, and will keep reminding myself that I'm going through the interviewing process to see if the organization will be a good fit for me, too!
DeleteI don't know how "confident" you are, but I'd be terrible at advertising and promoting myself... and if I hear your experience, job hunting can be so hard because you have to tell yourself with every rejection that it is NOT YOU (which I believe it isn't you, D, because obviously - besides your skills - they don't know what an awesome person you are). I am keeping my fingers crossed that the right job falls in your lab soon.
ReplyDeleteLOL. I think I'd be a good co-worker, but you never know. I should definitely include that I'm an awesome person in my cover letter!
DeleteI hope the right job comes along soon. Hopefully you'll look back and be glad you missed those others. Job hunting is stressful.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! It IS stressful and feels like a value judgment on your worth!
DeleteI hope the right job comes along soon. I think the job market is great for some areas - like retail, restaurants, etc. So not the kind of jobs you are looking for. I hope the stars align and you find the right position soon!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words. Reading these comments has been reassuring and I am feeling better about the whole thing.
DeleteJob hunting can be so exhausting. I have once been looking for a year and with every rejection my self esteem was down a bit more. a vicious cycle. However looking back i can say that when my heart was truely truely in it and I went into the interview with this is mine, I am going to get it I usually was offered the psoition. So maybe the right fit has just not yet crossed your path?
ReplyDeleteYou certainly are trying and it must be exhausting. I feel like the 'right' position is out there and the timing is going to be 'just right' at some point. Hopefully sooner than later. Keep your chin up-good things will come.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry things have been so frustrating. I was lightly job-searching earlier this year and it was REALLY demoralizing to realize that even with my skillset and how long I have been at my job, I was continually being passed up for other candidates. Sometimes it's just the skills other people have and sometimes it's the compensation. Jobs want to pay people as little as possible for great work, which is sad to say. Perhaps, once you have finished with your current job, you could focus on gaining some certifications/skills that would help you stand out? I am not sure what job field you're looking into, but if there is a certain certification or job skill that others have that you don't, figuring out how to start working toward that skill would make you a much more admirable candidate, I think.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, friend. I hope things turn around for you soon!
Oh, NGS (I've never, btw, searched on here for your "real name", so I hope you don't mind me calling you that...), this is so, so hard. I agree with everyone else - you are NOT a failure. The job market is changing so quickly no one can keep up. And I am so, so glad to read that you are just being yourself. There's no better person to be. Hoping this resolves soon for you...
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