Why I’m Happy My Job Search is Taking Forever

My job search is hard. As described in my post Qualified and Rejected, I get excited about opportunities, feel as though I’m a great candidate for them, and end up being rejected from them, or just not responded to at all.

My best sarcastic smile 🙂

In an extreme effort to remain optimistic, I’d like to explain why my Hellish job-search utilimately helps me as a job-candidate and future manager.

1. I have faced adversity.

Unlike my peers who graduated from college with full-time jobs (many before second semester rolled around) I have spent time unemployed. I have had to make decisions which feel like I’m choosing between bad and really bad, and am frustrated and consumed by my job search every day. But I’m still here, still searching, still knowing something is out there. I know sometimes life is a struggle, and you have to learn to live with it. Many Gen-Yers are stereotyped for being handed each step of their happy lives, and I can tell you that I surely have not. While I’m lucky to be healthy and debt-free, I am enduring a long-time struggle and am better off because of it.

2. I will be considerate in responses to others.

As a future hiring manager, I can tell you that I will try unbelievably hard to give each candidate the time and response they deserve. While many companies I’ve encountered do pretty well at responding, I will be awesome at it. There are few things more frustrating in a job search when someone tells you they will get back to you one day, and don’t get back to you until many after. Regardless of in a hiring manager role or just working with others, I will try to be accessible and truthful in my response times.

3. I am not shy to ask for help.

I feel like many people, including myself pre-job search, hate asking for help with something they feel they should be able to do alone. But now I understand that people do need help and it is more than okay to ask for it. Whether this be in a project at work, outside of work, or with a personal issue, I know it never hurts to ask. Some people are even flattered!

4. Similarly, I am not shy to offer help.

I know how hard admitting you can’t do something alone can be. Therefore, when appropriate, I will offer help and guidance to others as I continue in my career. I would love to be able to help future Villanova graduates the way Chris Brogan was able to help me, establishing connections and praising others’ efforts.

5. I remain optimistic in bad times.

Similar to being able to understand and face adversity, I am able to remain optimistic. In a future position, I will continue to focus on finding a solution, not moping around hoping something changes by itself.

Sure I would have rather had a job months ago, but each experience happens for a reason and makes you better because of it. How has your job search affected you long term? I urge you to think about the big picture.