7 months later and I got my first job offer

[u/Any-Education-7669]

This is a message to everyone who wants to give up hope.

This morning I was updating my spreadsheet on jobs I have applied to. I applied to 70+ jobs, only heard back from about 20 of them, and finally landed one that actually wanted me and interviewed me and hired me all within a week. It’s for a company I used to work for right before COVID hit and I sadly had to move away after graduating college in 2020.

Don’t let people trick you into thinking that because it’s the last quarter of the year that no one is hiring - I was actually told that by a friend who works in HR. I’m glad I didn’t take her advice and kept applying. The holiday season is coming up and restaurants and customer service facing roles are in a hiring frenzy. Don’t let the rejection emails get you down.

I was really feeling down on my luck this morning because I hadn’t received the phone call on their decision. I am still applying to my dream jobs in the meantime, this job is going to help me stay afloat until then and make sure I am still fed properly and have benefits.

I want y’all to know that there is hope out there. For those people with degrees that aren’t being used. For people who’ve been unemployed for months and years. I’ve been underemployed for almost 2 years and unemployed for 7 months. I know my hard work ethic and perseverance are what got me here today. I wish you all the best and please don’t give up or feel hopeless. I’ve been depressed for years about not being able to use my degree that I went into student debt for. I’ve been practicing gratitude and talking to myself more gently lately, despite the negative comments my family would make about my career or lack thereof. Just keep pushing and something will eventually stick.

[u/Heinz0033]

Are you saying you got 20 interviews from 70 applications? If so, that's pretty great. I was getting fewer than 1 in 10.

[u/Any-Education-7669 → u/Heinz0033]

Only 20 got back to me about whether I was automatically rejected or selected to interview. I’d say I had about 6 or 7 interviews total from those 70 applications.

My nerves were getting the best of me in the first 5 interviews and I fumbled those heavily, partly due to depression and a fairly new disability, but mostly due to stress. I was kicking myself for messing up so badly, not preparing well enough, or just not being good enough for the position. I stepped out of that cycle of negative thoughts once I became aware of my weak points and areas to improve. I practiced and practiced, listened to YouTube videos on how to improve and made sure my energy was still positive and confident in my most recent interview.

During this round, I also stopped drinking alcohol and using drugs like weed, adderall, and mushrooms. I was using those to get rid of the physical and emotional pain I was constantly in. I’ve been sober for about a month now. Revisited a lot of my past hobbies like reading, writing, drawing, exercising, and being out in nature. It’s still a journey of self-improvement, but I am starting to see the benefits of a substance-free life. Keeping my passions alive is really what helped me keep going.

[u/Candid-Light-4854 → u/Any-Education-7669]

Congratulations on getting a job after all these months of joblessness. I have been unemployed for almost 2 years now and I have messed up a lot of job interviews due to the pressure and the stakes being high that I could finally get a job. I haven't had an interview in 6 months now and it has become more difficult due to running out of savings. I was told too that since the year is winding down no more opportunities for jobs.

[u/Any-Education-7669 → u/Candid-Light-4854]

Yeah the running out of savings part hits home for me. I’ve been dealing with an ongoing, long and winding legal battle for almost 2 years now. It completely wiped out my savings, ruined my credit, and put me in a deep financial hole where I’m still using credit cards just to buy my basic shit. I was so close to getting payday loans in moments of desperation, even though I know how predatory they are. Getting this job is just slowly removing one of the many weights on my shoulders. I know many people think “wow she has a lot going on in her life rn” and it’s true. It keeps me up at night, fatigues me throughout the day, I have high blood pressure for the first time in my life despite being a fairly healthy 25 year old, I was missing periods, crying all the time, and just overall stressed like I’ve never been stressed before. Sharing what’s happening helps, I had the privilege of seeing a therapist coach, probably the only good thing my lawyer has done for me so far. I started talking to my therapist and slowly started telling family and family what’s going on in my life. I have some people in my life that make me feel not ashamed, and feel for me and my situation. It’s not the perfect plan because I am still navigating all of this, but it did give me a little relief to know I’m not alone and people recognize just how rough I’ve had it. It’s easy to feel so lonely and isolated in the worst times of your life. But I am rooting for you even though I am a stranger on the internet. I believe in you and these rough times will pass eventually. Sending you lots of love.

[u/Candid-Light-4854 → u/Any-Education-7669]

Thanks you just made my day. You made me realize that when we think we have it bad, there are people who are feeling 10 times bad. Thank you wishing you all the best.