7 Emotions Everyone’s Been Through When Trying To Find A Job

Let’s face it, finding a job can be like finding a needle in a haystack…..which has just been packaged into weighted crates…and dumped at the bottom of the Pacific ocean. Well, OK, maybe not this extreme but the painstaking process really can be an emotional roller coaster. So let’s buckle up and see what lies ahead (or lay ahead if you’ve landed a job already)!:

1. Vigour – You know the feeling, it’s early days on the path down sheer monotonous scrolling but things are yet to take a turn for the worst because you feel ready to take on this challenge. You feel energised and proactive as you align the bullet points of your CV, and Google fancier words for your cover letter ‘template’ (we all use these don’t lie)! Oh if only you knew what lay ahead! 

   

2. Curiousity – Your CV is updated, you’re now on the prowl, but for what kind of job are you after exactly? Here is where we all meet our fates as either one of two people: the ‘tunnel vision – this is the kind of job I want, no questions asked’ types or the ‘I’ll take anything that goes’ breed. Either way you take on an investigative approach as your mind wanders to whether a chef hat would really bring out your eyes or maybe the suited and booted corporate attire may do you more justice. Curiosity is the emotional stage which piggy backs onto vigour moments, just before your energetic searching becomes tedious and unfruitful.
3. Boredom – You’re now on your 60th application, the 60th time you’ve written ‘I respect your company ethos because….’. It’s been a month now and the same kind of job keeps popping up. You’re trying to think outside the box on methods to try and get your CV seen by different kinds employers. Google, once a loyal friend has become quite the foe as you’re never done typing ‘jobs in my area’ into the search bar till the wee hours of the morning.

   

4. Impatience – You’re now on your 90th application, you’ve received 2 responses in the last month and a half, both of which were automated and so the finger tapping and thumb twindling begins. You’re crawling to reach the 100th submission when….
5. Frustration – ‘Sorry you’re application has been unsuccessful……..’ yes, you’ve read that correctly and probably in your sleep for the amount of times these spam your bloody inbox! You felt numb by rejection email no. 22 and now feel like almost throwing in the towel until the blessed subject line ‘interview opportunity’ is bestowed upon you.

   

6. Sheer ecstasy!(bit much) Hope: Just when you thought your efforts were futile an interview for a pretty respectable role comes your way. You prep endlessly for the two weeks leading up, researching the company to the point where you basically know the CEO’s family tree and favourite colour better than they do. You try on a million outfits to get the smart yet casual look before reciting your reasons why you love the role……
7. Overjoyed/Crushed: It’s judgment day, if it’s a yes from the interview you’re over the moon, if it’s a no, your world is crushed and it’s back to the drawing board. I guess you’d better bookmark those jobsites as a security net.

*But don’t be too disheartened if it’s a no, it wasn’t meant for you. The right job will come along. Believe me. I’ve been rejected so many times I’ve lost count. Key thing is I didn’t give up until I got a job I was happy with.

*NB I managed to land my job through a contact I met at one of ERIC’s very own events at Covent Garden. That’s another trick, don’t leave your chances limited by using solely online websites, it may seem scary but go out and meet people. The exciting (scary) thing is you’ll never know who you’ll meet.

**Please note this article is intended solely for ERIC Mag, and I will link to the article on their site if/when it becomes live.