Today, my fortune cookie read, “What is the hardest task in the world? To think.” My immediate reaction was, “NO! It is to apply to jobs!”
The task to find jobs you are eligible for and the arduous efforts to apply for them, where you need to fill out so many details that at that moment, you want to contemplate your entire existence. We have all been there, where we got so tired of the application, we took a tiny break and never got back to the “Continue your Draft” button.
Do not lie, I know I am not the only one!
In the quest of finding your perfect job, rejection becomes your companion. Those “Thank you for Applying” and “We regret to inform” emails become your new “Good Morning!” texts. No matter, what people say, it hurts to see yourself get rejected repeatedly. It is like having your heart broken over a relationship you never had!
These LinkedIn posts that begin with “I’m happy to announce”, “I’m delighted to join” or any of those sorts, do not help either. You do feel happy for that person, but not simply happy for yourself.
But the most beautiful thing people do is not give up. They relentlessly apply, they subject themselves to the 50-50 chance of rejection (also to a marginal section of the “No Reply Ever” category). You can give up for a slight period, but you know you are coming back and doing it all over again. Sometimes, it takes months to get land that interview, sometimes just weeks or sometimes you do not get it, because there is something better on the other side of the bridge. It is a hard journey, terribly difficult, but to know there are others out there feeling lost just like I feel, makes me a little less miserable.
On a side note, I have realised that these rejections have sometimes infuriated me to an extent that I tried to gain additional knowledge and find more opportunities to upskill, which could be an unseen benefit, which makes me happy.
I do hope and try my best to believe, that one day I do get the job I am looking for, in a workplace that tickles my fancy, but I will sleep better knowing that someone who was sad because of a rejection, knows there are not alone.
Until next time, a proud hoarder of 200+ “Unfortunately we cannot move forward with you” emails.
