Update: “I Just Want A New Job” Responds
It’s time again for “Dear Wendy Updates,” a feature where people I’ve given advice to in the past let us know whether they followed the advice and how they’re doing now. Today we hear from “I Just Want A New Job” who graduated from college last May, was working in a temporary entry-level position, and had been looking for a new job for months while starting to feel a lot of anxiety about how long the process was taking:
“I’ve had several interviews which haven’t worked out (and plenty of non-responses to CVs, which I actually find easier to deal with), and it’s taking a toll on my self-esteem. Objectively, I know that I’m good at what I do, that finding a job takes time, and that, given that I have a job, I’m already in a good place. When I have received feedback, it’s been really positive (but they’ve just had a slightly better candidate too). However, every time something doesn’t work out, I feel worse and worse about myself, and I find myself stuck in thought-cycles about how terrible I am and how I’m never ever going to find something new.”
Some news from her, after the jump.
If you have other early-career grads reading, for context for them from me, as I’d have loved to know how long it might take, and how many roles I might have needed to apply for, I applied for 41 jobs over the seven months I was looking, was interviewed for 15 positions, including several second round interviews (and I’m leaving the process with two interviews still open, but for positions which aren’t as good as the one I’m taking). It took a while, but I got there!
Yay – congrats on the new job. I’m so glad the advice was helpful and that you’re able to share some insight with others who may also be looking for a new job and feeling a similar frustration.
Related: 25 Things Every New College Grad Should Be Prepared For and Five Relationship Tips You Can Apply to Your Career and 50 Awesome Life Tips for New College Grads.
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If you’re someone I’ve given advice to in the past, I’d love to hear from you, too. Email me at [email protected] with a link to the original post, and let me know whether you followed the advice and how you’re doing now.
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Yay, congratulations!!!
Congratulations! That’s actually a really good application to interview ratio. You were clearly on target with where and how you were applying!
Seriously – I’m jealous!
Congrats! Seventh months can feel like an eternity when you are job hunting, but that’s really not a bad amount of time to be looking.
Also, when I was job hunting a year and a half-ish ago, I read on AAM that a good interview to application ratio is at least one interview (including phone interview) for every 10 apps you send out.
Yeah really, getting interviews for at least one out of 3 positions you apply for is incredible.
Congrats! And as a hiring manager I have to echo Copa and Kate….that’s a really great ratio for interviews. You were obviously doing something right. Please come back and tell us how the new job goes 🙂
I’m in exactly similar situation as the OP was in her first letter, and this update moved me to tears. I’m a quite recent graduate myself, and working in a low paid dead end job. I’ve been looking for a new job for months now, and I’m going through lots of feelings of hopelessness and anxiety. The fact that the OP has succeeded brings so much light and hope in this dark situation. Thank you and best of luck on your new career!x
I am in my third full-time job after graduating and each time I submitted scores of applications for several months before I got a new position. It can feel really disheartening to keep applying and applying and applying but that’s the best way to increase your odds in the job apps game. Stay strong! Cheering for you from afar!
If it helps at all, I felt really stuck at my first full-time job out of school. Pay was pretty low. I was there for 2.5 years, applying for other jobs most of that time (though not aggressively, just when something piqued my interest and seemed like a good fit). Eventually, I got a new job, and every job I’ve had since has felt easier and easier to get. I’ve been working full-time for 6.5 years now and I’m loving how my career has taken shape. I finally feel comfortable with my salary (it’s more than 2.5 times what it was when I was starting out) and have learned a lot about how businesses run (like, from the perspective of how to approach workplaces as an employee, I guess). Anyway, don’t get discouraged. It’s hard to be in a job you don’t like, but keep trying to find something new. The right fit will eventually come along, and until it does, learn all you can where you are.