Don’t Give Up

We can all agree, this is an unusual job market. Frankly, I’ve never seen a job market this challenging since 2000. That’s when the dot com crash happened, and companies suddenly stopped hiring. But, that job market impacted technology workers more than other fields. This job market is full of unknowns, with extremely high competition, and is impacting job seekers across the board.

If you’re looking at sites like LinkedIn for jobs, you may see job postings that have received thousands of applications. That’s right, thousands. In the past, it was surprising to see a posting get over 100 applications. Now, 100 sounds like a much better number. And, in fact, with numbers these fierce, landing a dream may now be harder than getting into a prestigious university.

Job seekers are definitely feeling it. A popular post on LinkedIn recently featured a job seeker who shared her experience. She job searched for seven months. She interviewed at over 30 companies, juggling six to eight interviews each week. She made it to the final round four times, but still received no job offer. She did everything right with her job search, but came up both empty handed and tired.

It makes total sense to be worn out. The level of effort to land a job is currently at an all-time high. There are so many great candidates in the market that companies often end up making their decision based on small details. They may pick one person over another because they felt like they clicked with one, or they related to another. Rejections are often not based on your actual ability to do the job. This is because you are competing with a large pool of candidates who can all do the job.

Even worse, when you make it to the final round and don’t get an offer, a loved one will say, “Didn’t you tell them you could do the job?” The lack of understanding from outsiders can add to feelings of hopelessness, and embarrassment.

Despite the frustrating job market, please do not give up hope. These difficult times only last for so long. The dot com crash passed, just like this will. Companies are still hiring. And, there is still hope that you will land a great opportunity.

In fact, many of those thousands of applicants may not be qualified for all the jobs they are applying to. The pool is not quite as competitive as it might appear from the outside. And, you very well could be the candidate who clicks with the boss. You could be the one who the team gets along with.

You do need to be prepared that it will take more applications and more interviews to land a role. The search will be harder. It just takes more patience, more effort, and more resilience. But, you can do it. Just don’t give up! The right role is out there for you.

I hope these tips have helped you. Visit CopelandCoaching.com to find more tips to improve your job search. If I can be of assistance to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to me here.

Happy hunting!

Angela Copeland
@CopelandCoach