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Losing hope...
How do you stay positive when your job search is going poorly? I picked a very small career field and I live in a city over-saturated with people looking for the same kind of jobs I am. Specifically, I went into library science and I live in Austin, TX. I've been trying to find a new job for the past two years, but with no luck. Well, I've gotten some interviews, but no offers. I just had one last week that went really well and I thought I had a good shot at the job, but I have been rejected again.
I am losing heart. I feel like I don't have it in me any more to network and apply to everything I see. I probably need more experience in order to get hired, but how do I get that experience if even entry-level jobs won't give me a shot? I do have a job right now, so I know I am better off than a lot of people, but it's far from ideal. For those of you who are long-term job-searchers, how do you keep your morale up? I just want to cry, but I know that won't help anything.
Re: Losing hope...
It's frustring so feel free to cry and vent- it might not fix anything but it will help you feel better and regroup.
Have you ever asked for feedback after an interview from a job you didn't get? A lot of times you get canned answers, but I know that I and several of my grad school classmates have actually gotten some good feedback from interviews at jobs that we didn't get.We then used it to help better prepare and secure our current positions.
GL! I hope you find something soon.
I wish I had a better answer than just confirming your frustration. It IS disheartening and frustrating but don?t lose hope, keep at it, there is a little bit of luck involved in this process, I truly believe in this luck factor from the experience of watching those around me go through their job searches. You'd be surprised at how many people admit that it was that bit of luck that they got in.
It has only been 2 months of this job hunting routine for me but believe me there are days that I feel the same way. There are days that I think this process is unfair in many ways that I don't want to go into and feel annoyed all day about it but the next day I wake up and realize that yesterday didn?t do me any good and yes life is unfair and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it, so just go about finding another job I think I am qualified, and spend a good amount of time tailoring my resume and writing a cover letter and then wait, wait and wait.
Do you have a significant other or close family member or friend you can vent to? I really think it helps. You don?t want to bombard them with venting but on days you?re feeling like this, it helps to talk to someone. Although I advise you to pick the right people to vent to. I absolutely hate how all my distant relatives who hear through others that I am out of work, themselves haven?t touched a computer in their life or know nothing about the current job process try to give me advice about landing a job.
Just keep at it, you have a job now right? So while you?re working on that job, set a goal for yourself to spend x many hours a week looking/applying/researching about jobs and don?t think about it too much. When you least expect it, you?ll get an offer.
Thank you all for your responses. I appreciate the commiseration! I do talk to my husband about it but at a certain point I just need someone new to vent to. I was feeling really disheartened yesterday but today I feel a little more hopeful I guess. I am going to do as you suggest and commit a few hours every week to the job search, and just plug away.
I have thought about going back to school. I actually already have a Master's degree, but I could go back for a second Master's degree, which would help my competitiveness in this job field quite a bit. But the idea of going further into debt for a career that will pay me $35,000 a year (at least in Texas) if I'm lucky is daunting.I am thinking of taking the test for professional certification, which will also help my resume but won't be as expensive as the 2nd Master's.
I was thinking about asking the people at this most recent job for some feedback as to why I wasn't picked. I am qualified, I have appropriate experience, I know someone there (whose job it is that is opening up, and who was on the hiring committee), I used to volunteer at this place, and I know I did a good job on the interview and the written exercises (yes, there were essays I had to write as part of the interview!). This one hurts worse than the other rejections because I actually felt like I had a good shot at it. It was the perfect job for me, or so I felt. I also told all of my family and friends about the interview and the job, because I felt like it went so well, and now I'm kind of embarrassed. I just feel like a loser. But I just have to move on and keep applying and I'm sure there will be something else out there. Thank you again for the support!I just wanted to chime in and say I understand your pain very, very well. I am in Austin, in the archival field, and although I do currently have a job, it's not one doing what I want to be doing. I've had 4 failed interviews in the last 2 years, and have been rejected from many more jobs I felt I was qualified for, without even getting an interview. I do have a second Masters degree, in History, and that hasn't helped me at all.
I wish I had some advice for you, but just know you're not alone.