Job Hunting is no Joke

Today, let’s talk about the life I’ve been living for a few months – life of a Job seeker. But before I start my venting, and leashing out, I want to add a disclaimer. Because, let’s face it, I don’t want to offend any recruiters at this point in my life ;)

So if you are a recruiter and reading this, please note that this isn’t aimed at you. This is aimed at those other recruiters, who decided to ignore me instead ;)

Being out of work is no laughing matter! The job-seeking road is often a very long and bumpy one. It can take a huge toll on a person’s attitude, which is a big problem when maintaining a positive attitude is so critical to a job seeker’s chances of success. It’s a catch 22! So if you are a recruiter and you see a grumpy candidate, you are partially to be blamed for it.

Coming from someone who has been in this situation for the second time – moving to a new country, no professional or social network, no clue where to start from, PLUS Visa issues – you should really consider me as a job hunting expert. Maybe I should write that in my resume?

If you thought Job Hunting is as simple as, updating your resume- looking for a suitable job online- applying through the company’s online job portal- hearing back from the employer- being called for a few job interviews – getting a job; then I’m sorry to say, world has moved on, and so should you.

First of all, applying through company’s online job portals, never NEVER works. I wonder why do recruiters even post openings on LiknedIn or Indeed or any other job portals when they are eventually going to hire an “internal candidate” or a “suitable referral”. Seriously! This is a cruel and sadistic joke on us Job seekers.

After devoting hours to applying for a job online, filling out fields after fields in an automated recruiting portal, and adhering to many more steps/ tests, more request for personal information, and more delays, we at least deserve a human phone call or a human email exchange before we donate another brain cell to an automated communication. Would it kill a hiring manager to at least confirm that he received your materials?
Two seconds!!! It takes two seconds for the automated Applicant tracking system to tell us that you can’t be hired because you did not have the keywords the employer was looking for. Who knows how many fantastic job seekers have been turned away because of this talent-repelling recruiting process?

However, here’s another approach that’s a little slower, but at least it gets you somewhere without sinking you in the black hole – Networking! That’s right. The more connections you make, the higher the chances that you’ll get to bypass the robot-stage of the process and get your resume in the right hands. The more human connections you have, the higher the odds you’ll get a real, valuable feedback.

This has always worked for me. Its very time consuming and only 10% of the people (God bless those people!) have time to spare for a job seeker. But even that 10% is a lot to build your network. We moved to Seattle 8 months back and I’ve been rigorously networking since then. I’ve been fortunate to find some exceptionally supportive connections who have helped refer me and expand my human connections in a new city.

Then why am I still unemployed? Well, that’s a cruel game played on me by my luck. To cut the long story short, as of last month, I had 3 amazing job offers in hand. I picked the one that aligned with my career aspirations the most and had a wonderful supportive team. It seemed like the end of my struggles. Heck, we even celebrated and took a trip to Mexico. 
But I had forgotten that it requires more than just skill, expertise, and multiple job offers, to work in this country. Much more!

Yup! so from 3 job offers last month, I am back to job hunting and scaling up the business of coffee houses in the city.

I can't say I wasn't heartbroken. It took me nearly 2 weeks, but now I’m over my 5 stages of grief and I hate to admit, but I think I’ve started enjoying job hunting a lot ;) What’s not to enjoy? I sit at different cafes all day, reach out to new people, make new connections, get away from my computer screen and network, update my blogs, and drink lots of coffee.  

I know the entire episode should have affected my confidence and morale negatively, but I think the reverse happened. It has challenged me to become the best version of me. Speaking to strangers, marketing myself, and writing persuasive emails are some of the few things I have mastered now.

So I guess what I’m trying to say here is, that I know some parts of the job search are pure torture (cough, waiting to hear back, cough), but take it as one of those “unenjoyable” activities that you know has a long term reaping benefit (cough, exercise, cough).

Finding a new job is usually a challenging process, and the new age recruiting process doesn’t make it any easier for us, but it is also an opportunity for memorable stories, discoveries, and personal and professional growth. The fun is there too – if you dig a little deeper… A LOT DEEPER!