Be heard.
Thanks to Tony Petrucci for sharing this. Unemployed people are encouraged to participate. More info...
EZ Cash
This is real market research -- it won't make you rich, but it will make you some cash and won't cost you anything but a little time.
Subscribe to Blogs
Rejection Marathon
Posted Mon, 10/31/2011 - 17:53 by sleeplessjobless
I am a UX Designer with computer science background. I have worked and studied for many years at Universities. I have two masters degrees, one from Stanford. Since 18 months ago when our project didn't get any more funds I have been applying for jobs in industry. I live in San Francisco and life here is very expensive. I have applied to as many as 150 jobs, have had about 60 phone screens and went to 30 onsite whole day interviews. In average I get one rejection per two weeks. I get an interview, I get excited, I prepare my portfolio and presentation. I have great conversations at one-on-one interviews and present my work for the whole team and still excited and happy about how it went. And a week later I get almost the same response:
"While they thought you have a really great research background, the team said they are looking for someone with a bit more commercial experience, so I'm sorry... it's not going to work out this time. Please stay in touch, and as you gain more of that type of experience, I'd like to be able to let you know about new opportunities at our company. The team and I think you'd be a great cultural fit..."
I get almost the same response, some even with fewer words every time ... It's like catch 22. I can't get a job because I don't have the industrial experience, I don't get the experience because I don't get the job ...
I am not used to not being able to solve problems ... I try to find survival solutions every day. Although I get devastated by each rejection, I start the next day new and try new strategies. I have even tried in three different fields and tried different types of work, different types of companies ... I have been even blogging about my cooking and music and even made some money out of my foodblog ... I even develop apps and work on my small individual projects and volunteer for events ... but still it's devastating ... on a day like today that I get yet another rejection, I think it's over for this year as well ... and every time I want to stop applying, and thinking this is just a waist of my time, I get some hope what if I miss the perfect fit ... but some times I feel there's no perfect fit for me ... no one wants to compromise, I even heard from some of my friends that they have to interview people in order to hire their own contractors, so they interview some perfect candidates and they have to find and excuse to reject them, some times I feel the same thing happened to me ... I have so many technical skills, I am a multicultural communicative person and I get interviewed by people ten years younger than me and they tell me that I am not experienced!?! Where's the problem? Am I totally at the wrong place? Is it because I am not a native speaker? Is it because I am not as young as bay area entrepreneurs? I have decided thousand times to move, but where else can I find a job? It's the same every where ...
This situation has isolated me from society, my family and friends, ... and I am even getting more and more isolated from myself ... I don't know myself any more ... I can't sleep much ... I can't be happy any more and all my focus is getting a job and I haven't got any after 18 months of focused effort ...
This community is great and I read many of the posts. Thanks chuck for sharing your thoughts and experiences and also for every one on the community for sharing the experiences. It's good to see some people understand your pain. But the older I get I really don't know how I can be a useful person in the society, and I am only in my early thirties ... What am i doing wrong?!
- Unemployment Topics:
Site Copyright 2008-2009, Evolution Media; All individual content Copyright 2008-2010, by the user who posted it.
Comments
Try A Different Approach
Dear sleeplessjobless,
It is difficult to hear your frustration, especially knowing that you at least 20 years younger than myself. I was recently layed off and have not yet begun to look for work. Things happen for a reason and we cannot change the path that we are destined to follow.
You first need to get out, even if it is once a week. Join a Meetup group in your area of interest. Create your own workout, walking routine. Limit the amount of information you relay to a perspective employer, as you can always elaborate during your interview. Apply for jobs only with your current experience even if it is part-time. Apply for jobs whether they are full or part-time in other areas as well. You just never know where it can lead you.
Thanks
Hi Anonymous,
Thanks for your advice. I try to get out and away from computer at least a couple of hours every day. I workout every day, I go to a couple of meetups in the area and go to tech talks a couple of times each month ... but still getting all these rejections takes a lot of energy out of me.
I have also applied to many jobs for less experienced people than me but I guess the job descriptions are not exactly what is expected and some times I notice some companies don't exactly know what they are looking for.
Wish you also all the best.
today's interview!
In addition to yesterday's post ... I had another interview today by a big company. Apparently they expected me to work in three roles at the same time ... I guess I should send them this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405297020442240457659663089740918...
I guess I am going to give up to apply any more this year. It's just the waist of my time and energy. Each rejection puts me ten days behind ... I would better listen to some of the advice of people on this site and work on my own projects, maybe one day I can live out of them and not being so broke any more ...
Wow (great job landing interviews), hang in there...
Hi. Thank you for sharing. Your track record is really impressive (motivating, actually). I think in the past 7 months, I've applied to 10 jobs (fearing rejection) and have landed one interview. Applying to 150+ jobs reflects your work ethic/drive/resourcefulness and landing that many phone & in-person interviews shows that ppl know you have a lot to give. I really believe that if you keep at it, one of your apps will pan out. I know it's difficult to get those rejection letters (or worse yet, no reply whatsoever), but I'm trying to think positively (e.g. YOU missed out! I would have been a really valuable/productive member of your team!). It's easy to beat yourself up and think all the fault lies in you, but the truth is, there are TONS of amazing/smart/hard-working people out there looking for work right now. We need to keep our heads up and keep plugging along. This recession won't last forever.
Couldn't have said it better myself
It is critical to keep one's head held high. There are plenty of talented people who can't find jobs, and there are plenty of knuckleheads who have jobs. Not having a job in this day and age says only one thing about you: that you don't have a job.
When life hands you sh*t, make fertilizer.
just not having a job!
I like your description, but unfortunately people who have jobs don't see it that way, maybe because they have never gone through hardships! I really dislike the way they look down at me or make fun of unemployment! They think because they were lucky and landed at a comfy job at a good time, they are more talented. but as Freud says:
"Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure you are not, in fact, just surrounded by assholes.":-)
I have a job
I certainly don't look down on the unemployed, and neither do most of my co-workers. In fact, most of them have friends or family who are going through the same thing. Some of them (like me) have even been through it themselves.
Don't assume that people are looking down on you. Sometimes that's a sign that you're looking down on yourself. Start looking up to yourself.
Listen to Jen. She's right: You're doing great getting interviews and plugging away. Just believe in yourself a little more and I know things will turn around for you.
Best of luck.
When life hands you sh*t, make fertilizer.
my capacity is low these days!
Hi Chuck,
I hear what you say, but I guess since my self-confidence has been crushed through out the process so many times, I just don't have a high tolerance when people criticize me and my job search all the time. I had some friends who were lucky enough that they have never seen any one in their surrounding who is or was unemployed, so they could not even imagine it and they constantly criticized my strategies, and gave me advice and I have been doing ten times more than what they were advising me but because they were not in my day to day life they had no idea and they thought I am just wasting time ... I even see that my partner has less respect for me than before. I guess in a normal situation I would have had more patience with people but I just can't do that now and I can't see people who make fun of my situation ... I might have had a better sense of humor before but not in these hard times ... I just meet people who give me motivation not depress me more. I guess this is just my survival strategy at the moment.
I can relate..
Chuck,
I can relate to your post. I have been doing everything I can to find a job or temp work. I went to a second interview for a temp job this week and am on pins and needles because I can be rejected yet again. I have signed up with two other temp agencies and done their testing with good results on the basic stuff and less so on the more advanced Excel functions (no middle ground in testing). My husband looks at me like I have two heads or like there's something seriously wrong with me. He said, "I thought temping was easy to get." People keep questioning my strategies and my mother-in-law keeps asking me if I got a job.
I'm so sick of the judgement from all angles and feel alone and depressed. This has been bad enough but I lost my mother this year too.
I agree
I appreciate your wisdom about not assuming that people are looking down on you. A lot of rejection is psychologically damaging, even if it's not meant to be. It has been over 1.5 years for me and I was silly enough to turn down an offer very early on because I didn't think it was a good fit and I assumed that the economy would get better and not worse.
Thanks for your feedback
Hi Jen,
Thanks for your encouraging comments. I should say after going through so many applications and interviews, at least I feel stronger. Although it's very devastating each time, I'm getting more self confidence and get new ideas after each interview. And some times I see through and think I could totally work with those people but I might find a job that makes me happier ... but I guess the longer it takes, the more stressful my life gets and I have to find a way to financially survive and stay insane. The only thing that bothers me most are the people who don't respect my time and effort. When I spend a whole day on an onsite interview and going through the whole process, at least one person from the team could respond my "thank you" emails. Some times I only get the formal rejection email which looks the same for every one. I find that just bad behavior and rude.
But I keep my head up.:-) Thanks.
Good point
Good point--interview practice (while often upsetting to the stomach) is invaluable. Each time I survive one, I feel better prepared for the next.
I hear you on the unprofessional/rude people. I used to really let it get to me, but then I thought, if that's how the org/company treats people, then that's not the kind of team/work culture I'd thrive in anyway.
Btw, you probably already heard, but Stanford just got a $150 million alumni donation to fight global poverty. The money will be used to fund the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies, which is in early start up mode. There's currently no stand alone website for SEED so they might be able to use a UX Designer. Couldn't hurt to use your Stanford connections to poke around a bit... :)
Thanks for your advice
Thanks Jen for the hint. I looked for the people who might be related to that project. I contacted some, let's see if I hear back from them. Thanks for bringing it up.
On respect...
Hi everyone – hang in there! Please read my blog post about how employers should respect potential employees more!!
http://thelittlebarnowl.blogspot.com/2011/11/on-unemployment-and-respect...
Great post
Great blog post Katie. I really liked how you categorized the type of emotions you get after each interview. I really relate to those. As Chuck has written multiple times in different posts, it's great to channel that energy in a positive way. I usually try to work hard on some thing after I get angry, or confused after the interviews.:-) But I feel in general because people have less and less time, they respect interviewees less and less and what really makes me angry is when I spend a whole day on an on site interview and when I send emails or call, no one gets back to me for weeks ... writing one line email wouldn't take them more than 30 seconds ... but I also prefer not to work with people who have so little respect for other people's time ...
I agree
After stumbling upon this blog and reading your post first, I can completely agree with your feelings. At this point my pessimism has totally taken over and even reading your post depresses me. I don't have nearly the qualifications that you have so I don't know what hope their is for me. I can't even get entry level service jobs. I've dumbed down my resume some but I guess I'll try doing it even more for the next phase. It's clear that if I ever find a job, I'll be cutting my salary in half and essentially starting my career all over.
Dear Sleeplessjobless, While
Dear Sleeplessjobless,
While I can sympathize with you, I don't feel bad for you. You are at least getting interviews. I have applied to well over 400 positions in the past two years. Out of those positions I have had 4 interviews! Two years ago I received a PhD in Civil Engineering and have not been apply to find work. So I am not even eligible for unemployment. I have applied from positions that require a PhD to those that only need a GED. And still I have no job. I feel you are in better shape than I am. Hang in there, we're all in this together.
Stay positive!
Your environment consists of your home, work, car, and other structures you stay in or pass through. These can have either positive or negative affects on your short and long term physical or mental health. Take an active role in arranging your environment around your desires and goals. When it complements your goals, your motivation gets an additional boost. Stay positive and stay moving, exercise really does help. Good luck to you.