Job Search Reflections Week 1
“Why don’t you just get a job, even if it pays low? It’s better to have some income coming in verses no income at all, right?”
The questions above came from a very well-meaning friend of mine who fortunately for them are out of touch as it comes to obtaining employment in the digital age. When I inquired about the last time they were between jobs they informed me it was during the age of dialup internet and resume paper was still in style. Bless their heart, they don’t have a clue of the transformation that recruitment and job searching has taken on in the last 20 some years.
I know firsthand how depressing and personal being unemployed can be. It forces you to reflect on your value and worth on a continuous basis, always striving to submit a perfect cover letter and resume knowing full well that it will never actually be perfect, but still hoping that maybe this one time, it will be enough for you to at least get a screening interview. Give you a chance to speak to a human to show your passion and drive as it relates to the work that you want to do.
It’s a process that makes you a digital archeologist, digging the corners of the internet for job postings hoping to find a suitable job description that seems promising, even though they don’t list the salary range. Praying, as you submit the application that it’s not $20,000 to $30,000 below market value.
It’s a process that makes you a data analyst. Tracking every job, when it was posted, when you applied, what the salary range was, the benefits that would be associated with the position, and any communication that has been received. You find yourself tracking every little bit of information that you can, trying to figure out the code or see the trends that would show you the roadmap to your next position. Only to realize that there is no scientific algorithm to assist you, it’s a combination of luck and timing.
It’s a process that creates division when there was none. Having feelings of camaraderie change to feeling competition towards friends, family, or colleagues. Asking “why do they have all the success and luck in the world” all the while you are in the outfield clawing your way back into the game.
It’s a process that makes you doubt yourself. It forces you to reflect on your high school days thinking “maybe I should have done better, tried harder. Had I done that, I would’ve gotten into a better college and gotten a better degree with more opportunities available to me”. Ultimately, there comes a time in the process where you start to “should” on yourself. All your previous accomplishments no longer hold the weight that they used to because they no longer matter, only today’s successes and outcomes matter. Those successes were exceptions not the rule.
Ultimately, job searching is a deep dark hole that feels isolating, cold, and barren. The purpose of me writing this, is simply to explain that no one wants to be unemployed. If it was as easy “to just get a job” then the unemployment rates wouldn’t be what they are and climbing.
If you know someone that is job searching, I encourage you to reach out to them. Inquire about their job search, asking what positions they have found that they seemed excited about but also being willing to listen to them as they may share their frustrations of not getting to where they want to get to. Don’t try to fix the problem. I know I have a hard time with this myself but asking them “how can I best support you” goes better and further with those that are in the in-between stages. Finally, speak LIFE into them. Remind them of who they are and what they have accomplished. Remind them that this is not the end of their story but only a chapter that God is still writing.
To those who are job searching, keep your head up. I see you. I hear you. I know you. This is only temporary.
In love and light,
Lisa Marie
