A Soon-To-Be Unemployed Rant
Please don't try to make me feel better, don't leave me a comment saying things will get better. Maybe they will maybe they won't. I just want to rant.
I am horribly dejected, disappointed and depressed with my job search. I honestly wish more employers would have some consideration to the people they're looking to hire.
I recently had an email about a phone interview. The woman seemed very excited to speak to me over email and wanted to set up a time for us to talk. I told her I was out of town until Friday, March 7 but I was still interested. She said, Friday's fine, just send me your phone number and a time that would be best for her to call. I replied with the requested info on Wednesday. Friday rolls around and at 11, despite not having received a confirmation from her, I sat by my phone like a retard waiting for her call. By 11:30, I still had nothing. At this point, not wanting to waste any more time as I had another interview at 2pm and hadn't showered yet, I sent her an email saying basically "Hey, what's the deal? Weren't we supposed to talk? If you're still interested, let me know." Today, Monday, I still haven't heard anything. And for those wondering, well why didn't you call her? I didn't have her number. I feel like I got stood up on a date.
The other interview, the one at 2:00pm? Well, it sounded oh so great on paper but not so much in person. I got there and gave a great interview, my potential future supervisor LOVED me. But at the end, when she's asking when would I be able to start she mentioned that some of the people who'd applied wouldn't be able to start till May because they were STILL IN COLLEGE. I swear I heard my heart fall to my belly. I have 5 years of experience, 4 of them VERY good experience and she's hiring people straight out of college?!??!?!?
I feel unwanted, stupid, and rejected. The jobs I've been applying for tend to lean towards the administrative side because, sadly, a lot of my experience is administrative though not all and not currently. I speak 4 languages that (with the exception of English of course) seem like a COMPLETE waste. More often than not I'm either really overqualified, or just a bit under-qualified because I don't have specific industry experience.
The biggest problem is that I'm smart (modesty's going out the window right now) and most of these jobs I could do blindfolded with one hand tied behind my back. Most days have been complete wasted potential in pretty much every job I've had since I got out of college. So the problem is not that I can't do the jobs, it's that my resume and letter can't reflect that. When someone meets me in person, I get a window of opportunity to prove myself but no one will give me that chance.
So I apply, to every fucking job I see. To the point that now, I've applied to most everything that's out there and June is lurking closer and closer and I can't think about jobs at all without getting a feeling of despair in the pit of my stomach.
This too shall pass.
I know that, and I know the perfect job is out there for me right now but if ONE more person tells me that I will tell them to go fuck themselves. And HR people? Learn your fucking job and stop doing this to job seekers! This is the second time some dumb ass HR person had fucked over a good job for me because they call me and then when I call back they don't return my call. Fuck you.
Rant over. I'm gonna go find a cookie.
21 people said:
Rant away. it fucking sucks, babe. I am sorry.
Sorry, I didn't mean to piss you off today by saying everything will work out.
Having had a job search that lasted 3.5 years because I was in a complete hell-hole, and unable to get a job because of my visa situation, I know things do work out at the end.
You at the very least could find a job, even if you're overqualified for it, even if it is not what you're looking for, and keep on looking -- you'd never be unemployed. At least you have options.
Try the other shoe sometimes before telling us to fuck ourselves, because at the end, it really does work out, even if the way to get there is depressing and it fucking sucks.
Keep ranting... you're right it totally does suck.
I had the same situation for a full year, and towards the end of it, I'm not really sure how I was even dragging myself out of bed in the mornings.
You know your own worth, you know your qualifications, and not wanting to settle for something just to have a job isn't stupidity or pride, its self-confidence and drive. Just keep getting out of bed, and rely on your friends. They're more supportive than you ever realized.
lame. Sorry Jo, hopefully the cookie will take your mind off this for a couple minutes.
I'm sorry about all of this. As an unemployed individual myself, I'm empathetic.
i'm just commenting to give you a comment hug. and say let's go out for lunch soon and NOT talk about the job search and so you can lord your tan over my pasty self. love ya, babes.
"Most days have been complete wasted potential in pretty much every job I've had since I got out of college."
Job hunting sucks. No doubt. It's demoralizing and ego-crushing and incredibly tedious. I've been temping and looking for a year, and I'm ten years out of college.
But the sentence above made me cringe. And now I'm gonna sound like a grumpy grandpa. With profuse apologies...
Who gets a job that fully tests their potential when they're just starting out? You're still early in your career. The less-challenging work isn't meted out as punishment, it's stuff that has to get done. And if you're the rookie, you're the one that has to do it. All honest work has dignity (I'm collating at the moment, which is like watching paint dry).
I do feel for you. It sucks and I'm right there with you. And the economy sucks, and employers have no idea what they want, and it's depressing.
want a beer? A great job I cannot provide. A great beer however? That I can do.
:) Miss you.
Sorry. There's nothing worse for the ego than job interview after job interview. Bleah. Take a break. Get some sun.
It does suck. I just ended a long job search, and in this economy it was nothing short of a disaster. I wish these HR people would get over themselves and just discuss salary when they call you to set up a meeting. There is no better way of ruling out and saving everyone's time than just revealing the salary. But no, they guard it like the Crown Jewels.
I remember interviewing with some dork who, very early in his career was made a VP by a bunch of men who took him under their wing. He was trying to tell me I would come in at an entry level position, three levels below him. Uh, dude? I was BUILDING BUILDINGS when you were in college spending your summer in London. There's nothing entry level about that.
It's a horrid process. But I will say, having had 6 jobs in 13 years of working, all my jobs are the ones where I was interviewed and hired within a matter of days. When people want you, they don't fuck around. And that speaks volumes about the company.
I'd say the best thing I have done is acted like I don't need these people. That seems to click something psychologically in them that makes them chase you. The lady who stood you up for the interview phone call? I wouldn't even bother with her. When / if she calls you back, blow her off. Shoot, you have nothing to lose. Feel free to tell her that you prefer to pursue companies who seem more organized and honor appointments. Do you really want to work for a company with such flaky employees?
These little things that happen during the interview process are HUGE. They mean the world in terms of working environment. If they aren't ready to point and shoot on hiring someone, they probably aren't the kind of place you want to be.
I kept a spreadsheet of all the jobs I applied to. You wouldn't believe the number if I told you. And you wouldn't believe my qualifications if I told you either. There is no reason to not hear from the bulk of the employers. But that's the case. 1 in 25 would contact me.
There's no magic formula on how to get a job. You could apply online for years but end up in a conversation with someone at a restaurant, be overhead by a hiring manager, and have a job within minutes.
Clearly I have a lot of opinions on the matter. Sorry. That was way too long.
Lemmonex - Thank you.
Beach bum - We've discussed.
PR Slave - I don't know how you got up in the morning either. I've only been doing this for 4 months! And thank you. I think I needed to hear that.
SlightlyDisorganized - Sadly, it wasn't a very good cookie ;-)
I66 - How's it going with your hunt?
Carrie - Absolutely. Next week?
Shannon - Don't apologize for being a grumpy grandma. I know that every entry level job requires grunt work, and I'm willing to do it but at what point does the grunt work become more than just someone's bitch? I feel like I should be getting a LITTLE bit of an upgrade at least. Something a little more challenging.
Mandy: Beer! Thank you and miss you too!
Lacochra: Ironically, I JUST got back from a week's vacation in the Bahamas.
Velvet: Don't apologize, that was an incredibly helpful comment. And I'll take your advice, I think sometimes I care too much.
I've found the best way to get challenging work is to join a small organization. They're more likely to be swamped and just let you run with things.
You should definitely make sure you don't get "assistant-ized", which is when a more senior person turns you into their secretary (even when you don't even report to them!). Watch for someone who gives you all sorts of fiddly little tasks ("print this!"), they're trying to take you over. Sadly, it happens all the time, especially to young women.
As for "being someone's bitch," that's often just part of working life. So long as there's an org chart with you're name on it, you're somebody's bitch.
And I agree it's really annoying when hiring managers don't get back to you. I've found it's often because there's some sort of pressure from management to hold off on hiring, to wait to see if an internal candidate becomes available, or some other holdup that has nothing to do with you.
Ohhh, I loved this post and loved that DC Blogs picked it up, because you've so eloquently (yes, eloquently) ranted the rage, frustration, self-pity and confusion every job hunter has felt, myself included!
I'm doubly screwed right now: job searching in a for-shit economy (thanks, dubbya) and in a different city. I've found that adding relocation to the hunt is like rubbing salt in an already very raw wound. Ya just hurt more.
Good luck with your search!!
When a lot of people come to your stage, they decide to start their own business or consulting gig.
Yep, this sounds all too familiar. I've been unemployed for several months and am having a difficult time finding a new gig as well. In reading your post, I can't help but wonder if maybe you're selling yourself short on the jobs you're applying for. Sometimes it helps to apply for positions you may be a little underqualified for. Many employers look for people for whom the position for hire would be a promotion, rather than a lateral move. Something to think about. That being said, unemployment can be kind of fun once you get used to it.
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said HR people don't take our feelings/schedule/life into consideration.
I once applied for a job, got three interviews, then didn't hear from them for weeks. When I finally talked to someone, they broke it down like this:
I was overqualified for the job I was seeking so they decided to create a new position for me. Once they did that, they realized I was underqualified for that job and gave it to someone else.
i wanted piggyback off of hey pretty, and to remind you of a conversation we had about this - DON"T SELL YOURSELF short. apply for manager jobs, even if it seems a bit out of your range. You never know!! and like you said, you can do any job put in front of you, given the right shot.
oh, and next week is great. check your gmail though!
I know what you mean. I'm completely fucking awesome so it looks like my resume is a pack of lies. When I can actually get an interview and show my stuff they love me. When I start work they find that they're not paying me enough. But just trying to get that first interview...
Here's a cookie for you.
2-2-162D695318EB0B4F6C625D5BFB887D745C992F067D9C866CF84502192489AB3F-E2794B2FD2D13FF09AC167AFECECB1A342A3EE858F9D6EB76C8A3B170CD9E3D5
I'm sorry I'm late to this, but wanted to send you a big hug. Job hunting sucks, absolutely sucks.
I've been unemployed for 13 years after getting out of the Marine Corp.I can relate to the frustration and depressive feelings associated with it.My wife is getting tired of me being a stay at home dad.I sacrificed more than anybody knows these past 13 years and i'm scared to fail.I just got a job prospect through my wife and her work friend.I think sometimes the saying is true , it's who you know and all kinds of factors playing out just right.I wish everyone success.
Post a Comment