Job Search Tip #2 = Don’t give up!
I graduated in December 2010 and have been looking for a job, on and off, since then. I know people who have been looking for a job even longer. These are tough times, but they have taught me a lot of lessons. And one of the most important ones is “don’t give up“.
I come from a great background. I am smart, hard working, have studied at the best schools and colleges, worked at a great company. I have never been unemployed. In fact, I have never been free for more than a week at any given time. In that way, these last few months have been a revelation. They have given me a different perspective to life in general and also given me the time to ponder about a lot of stuff – things I could not have been able to do if I was working right now. Wait, who am I kidding. I want a job. I love being stressed out, I love working towards deadlines, I love the thrill of new challenges, I love everything about being at work. But anyways, that will have to wait for a bit. For now, I get to concentrate on the “other” things I love.
Now, back to the post and why I am writing it. As someone who has been incessantly trying to score an internship/part-time/full-time job over the last few months, I have been through several ups and downs. On some days, I’ve been extremely upbeat about the whole situation. On others, I’ve looked to find something to keep me motivated and inspire me. Sometimes I’ve just curled up in bed and fallen asleep. Other times, I have put everything behind me, to go out and have fun. Ups and downs. I told you. Through all of it, this is what I have learnt -
- The first few times are always tough. I remember way back in the summer of 2009 when I was applying for internships. Things were tougher then. The first time I applied to a company, I spent so much time on my resume + cover letter + researching the company + doing everything I could to get that internship. I got rejected. I spent the next few days wallowing in self pity. The same thing happened with the second company. And the third. Around the 6th time, I decided, this is it. I’m not going through the same loop again – I learned an important lesson then – “learn from your mistakes and try not to repeat them“.
- There are several reasons for you to get rejected by a company. If you are lucky and the company actually sends you a rejection letter with a reason, you will know what the reason was. Most times, that is not going to happen. So you need to find out the “why” on your own. More lessons learned – “Port mortem” (despite how grim that might sound) of your application. Look through your application, try to pinpoint where you might have gone wrong (you might not have gone wrong, but this is a good way of getting over the rejection – just like how, after a breakup, you go through all your old stuff to discard things you want to have nothing to do with anymore). You might not be able to figure it out exactly, but in the process, you will run through your application throughly, making changes as you go, turning it stronger with every passthrough.
- You will obviously have some free time on your hands between applications. Make the most of your free time. Write, read, stay up-to-date with your industry of interest. Work on your ideas. Think. Introspect. Bake. Whatever keeps you happy
- And lastly, even if this is your 100th application, “don’t give up“. There is something out there that is perfect for you [Just like the perfect man, the perfect job will also come your way
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Funemployment
That’s the ishpirit.