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The good news: many job seekers, including my clients, get interviews for jobs. The market is opening up a bit, and employers are replacing or adding to their staff.
The bad news: Many interviews don’t turn into job offers.
Or is it really bad news?
I think it’s GREAT news when interviews don’t turn into job offers. Because that means you don’t have to turn down what clearly is not your “right fit” job.
I know, it sounds simplistic that if you don’t get the job offer, it’s not your “right fit” job anyway. It is just that simple. I know many people who have taken jobs they later realize are not a great fit. I’ve done it myself – getting off the elevator my first day as Executive Director of a prominent NYC non-profit, I thought “oh no, I’ve made a mistake.” It was too late. I said “yes” and had no other source of income. So I made the best of it, as many do.
That experience convinced me that it is far better not to get an offer in the first place. That way, there’s no angst about whether to say yes or not. The answer is clear: not the “right fit.”
I remember hearing “all you need is one job.” And that is true. While it might be ego-feeding to get a lot of offers, it does complicate things.
Going on a lot of interviews is a great thing because you get experience in managing your feelings afterward. I learned to pay attention to my gut, which almost always told me what went wrong and what went right. I learned not to put so much stock in a single interview, and instead to show up and see what happens. (Obviously, I wanted to put my best foot forward and do all the right things – prep for the interview, follow up appropriately, and take every opportunity to both find out whether I’d be happy at the job and show the employer my value.) And I came to see that every step I took on my job search, every stone I turned over, every opportunity I grabbed…all of that was leading me closer to my next “right fit” job.
Pay no attention to the “naysayers” who tell you it’s going to be hard to get something in your industry, at your age, with your skill set, with your education or lack thereof, your experience or lack thereof…and on and on. I’m not sure why people have to be so negative. When I was looking, it was too depressing to listen to them. I brought that anxiety with me into interviews, and people could smell it – and they wanted no more to do with me.
Remember: You have skills. You have experience. You know you can do a great job when you get the right opportunity. So have confidence that you will land that “right fit” job. Your confidence will be infectious. Just as mine was, when I knew I had a lot to offer. It attracted people, and that’s when I got offers.
The bad news: job searches take a long time. It’s a dance between you, the job seeker, and the labor market. You’re sifting through jobs just as employers are sifting through candidates.
The good news: there is a job out there for you. As you are searching for it, it is coming toward you. Keep putting one foot in front of the other and you will find what you seek.
