My Job Search Struggles

 

Welcome back to this precious space.

Today, I would be sharing something reeeeeeeeaaally PERSONAL.

It's about my job search struggles!!!

You might be wondering what's so special about that.

It's special to me because all through my life so far, I have never had the "waiting period".

Let me give a brief history so you will get the picture:

- Basic Education ( Ended in 2006)

- Secondary Education (2006 - July, 2012)

- BSc ( August, 2012 - July, 2016)

- National Youth Service Corps ( November, 2016 - October, 2017)

- MSc ( February, 2018 - July, 2020)  Official ceremony April, 2021 (because COVID)

In my head, I had paid my dues (in terms of being serious in school and all that good stuff) and so jobs should be running after me. My brethren, the reverse was the case. 

The journey after this was real and I wouldn't want it to waste such an experience so I decided to document the process under the sub-headings you would find below:

1. The Love Letters

Love letters to me are the worded expressions of an individual's deep seated feelings towards another. Yes, I got a Loooooooooooot (I mean a lot) of love letters from recruiters. 

In plain English, I got a lot of REJECTION mails from recruiters. it was so hard to take in. If I decide to put together the volume of rejection mails I got on papers, I promise you it would be enough for someone to study as a full course till Professorship level. It was so painful. Do you understand when you put in your 100 and the feedback is a minus? It was a mix of several emotions (from the feeling of not being good enough to all sorts).

2. The Ghost Employers

How do I even explain these ones now? Some applications got me to the interview level. I have heard of several stories of "I will get back to you" and the direct opposite happens. I just didn't think it would me on the expectancy side one day. 

Let me share two scenarios. 

First one, I had shot my shot for a job like this in line with my food processing interest. I got called for an interview. The woman who interviewed me told me that she was going to get back to me with her decision before the close of business the next day. As you read this, that decision hasn't been concluded as I haven't gotten any mail. It's possible that there is a folder in Gmail that my own hasn't updated to.

Second scenario was with this company that almost cut my tongue as I tried to pronounce their name (just imagine). In my head, I had hit one level of jackpot because their online presence is topnotch. I got invited for their test, thankfully I got a success mail (I was like AMAZZZZZING). Got invited for interview after which I got a success mail. The mail read that there was going to be another level of interview and a date in May was given for the next steps. I refreshed and refreshed my mail when that day came. As an efficient person (that I can be), I decided to call the contact number that had called me before the interview to find out how far (about a week later o). You won't believe the response. As I write this, I can't believe the response either. In the contact person's voice "The management is considering putting the recruitment process on hold, a mail will be sent to this effect". Just wow! WOW! Another WOW WOW. 

After hot assessment test and another hot seat interview. Hmmmmm. The icing on the cake is that till date the mail hasn't still dropped. Chai. It is what it is.

3. The Opportunist/ The Ridiculous Expectants

Dear reader, if you see what my eyes saw on this journey, hmmmmm. Some criteria for jobs were just hilarious. I will share

Behold! Rebellion is a criteria for a job. I had to screenshot this. Hilarious

I found this really disturbing. Let me not say further. 

The GOOD NEWS is that this month, I began a new journey at an amazing place (very much in line with the data analytics skill I picked up during my waiting period).

Sites that helped me get job notifications:

- Indeed

- Simply Hired

- MyJobMag

- Recruitment Trust

- Impactpool

- Boston Consulting Group 

- UNICEF Job Alerts

- Jobgurus

- Careers in Africa

- IBM Careers

- EmpowerU Career Consulting (on IG as EmpowerU)

- Thomson Reuters HR

In all these, I can't undermine the God factor. God helped me tremendously, He helped me build and strengthen my relationship with Him. I mean I had real time conversations with Him.

I am grateful for the support from family. I am grateful for the friends that had words of encouragement on their lips. I am grateful for DreamsandDegrees (Holding my hand through my data analytics journey. I am still on it). I am grateful for The Root Hub (Learning skills online could be expensive but they gave me a scholarship. I am forever grateful).

Feel free to share your experiences in the comment section below.

Until next time, do unto others what you would have them do to you.

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