I’ve wanted to write about my experience as a job hunter and share it with others who also find the process somewhat unpleasant or discouraging.
No-one likes to be rejected, and I think that’s why a lot of the times we just don’t ask anymore. We are afraid to hear the answers we don’t want to hear. A lot of people only ask when they know the answer will be ‘yes’.
Job hunting, especially open market job hunting, unfortunately, is marred with opaqueness and information asymmetry. Let’s be honest, both sides are risk-takers in this, which is why a lot of the times, employers are more willing to hire someone they know but isn’t as qualified/experienced, than someone who has a great CV and did well in interviews, but is merely a stranger.
I want job hunters (especially young job hunters) to know, that the rejection is rarely a rejection of you, but a rejection of the process and system which isn’t in a job hunter’s favour.
from my experience, a lot of the agencies advertise non-existent roles to test the market, to find out what type of talent are available and how much they are expecting to be paid. This quite often can lead to interviews which then lead to nothing – the pro is there’s a chance they’ll actually keep you in mind for future roles, and con is you’ve just wasted your time and emotions for a role that’s not really there.
even when you apply directly to an organisation, there’s a chance the job isn’t really available – a lot of the times they already have a preferred candidate. They advertise because they have to meet a quota of applicants, or they have to advertise externally, or they have to interview a number of applicants of a gender (usually female), or there can suddenly be an external hiring freeze, and I’ve even seen a manager who interviewed countless people just to prove to her manager that there isn’t anyone qualified – that she must hire 2 people for the role instead of 1.
a lot of the times you just don’t know what they are after – so be yourself. Some managers like high achievers, some managers feel intimidated/threatened by high achievers. It’s not one type fits it all, by being yourself you’ll have a better chance of finding a job and a manager you’ll actually enjoy working for.
So the odds are stacked against you.. which is why networking is so important, and what exactly is networking? I myself haven’t quite mastered that yet but I guess everyone would probably have their own style of building relationships. So by that token you just got to get yourself out there – you’ll notice the first time you meet someone, it’s going to be awkward, the second time, a little bit more familiar, and third fourth time, you talk like you know each other.
The ultimate thing is, know that the rejections are not personal so don’t take it personally, it’s not you, it’s them! Oh and don’t stop trying! Good luck!!