I'm tired of applying for jobs.
I am tired of applying for jobs.
I’m tired of creating and updating cover letters. I’m tired of typing out all of the information already present on my resume. I’m tired of scheduling Zoom interviews where I have to pretend I see myself in a position for years when I’d honestly rather do anything else. I’m tired of being ghosted. I’m tired of rejections.
It’s been half of an entire year of constantly and consistently scrolling through LinkedIn. Half a year of getting my hopes up only to be let down. Half a year and 100+ applications later, I’m still working a part-time job.
Most people can expect some sense of burnout and a tricky transition period after a few long, hard years of earning a degree. I totally understand that — for most people. I just never thought it would be me.
I graduated a full year early from a well-recognized school with a pretty employable major. I completed three internships, held a student leadership position and created an extensive portfolio of my work. I have recommendations and close relationships with professors well-known throughout Nashville and their respective industries. Throughout my college career the lowest grade I ever received was a B+.
The months on months at home have given me plenty of time to understand my worth as a human being is not exclusively tied to my work output. And I’ve made a lot of progress in understanding that and trying to spend this extra time working on different areas that make up my self-worth. But as I watch other people do what they love (and somehow make money along the way??) I can’t help but feel like a disappointment to myself and the people who believe in me.
At this point, I’m just tired. But I’m still applying. I have to remind myself that the circumstances right now have created an entirely new job-hunting environment. In June, 18 million Americans were doing the exact same thing I was. Most of these people have been in the workforce for at least a few years, and therefore are more appealing to the companies hiring. All I can do at this point is keep getting my name out there — the rest is out of my hands.
A few tips for how I’m doing it, and how I hope you’re able to build some resiliency too:
Give yourself grace. This is a hard time for everyone, and as much as you want it to be, getting a job isn’t actually a competition. You still hold worth whether you’re employed or not.
As exhausting as it is, keep looking. Keep saving jobs you’re interested in. You don’t have to apply for everything immediately, so I like to keep tabs on jobs I might be remotely interested in one day, reevaluate if it’s something I can actually see myself doing the next, and finally applying within a week of the initial discovery of the position.
Make an achievable goal. Mine is to do about 5 applications per week. Either one each week day or slamming out a couple in a row when I’m feeling up to it. I think my record for a week was 20, but by that point I was so mentally and emotionally exhausted that I didn’t apply for anything for the next week or so. It’s unfortunately a marathon and not a sprint right now, so save some energy for the jobs that you’re seriously interested in.
Update your resume every month. Maybe not with a new position or credential, but make it a goal to pick up at least one new skill or strengthen an existing skill every month. As you see more job descriptions you’re interested in, you’ll start to pick up on a pattern of skills that are desirable in similar roles. Focus on those first.
Give yourself breaks, incentives and little rewards. Some days I’ll go to Barista Parlor in the afternoon and challenge myself to submit as many applications as I can before they close. Sometimes I finish one application, then take a brisk walk before coming back to more. Just because you aren’t directly getting paid for the time you’re putting in right now doesn’t mean you aren’t working. Remember to treat and reward yourself for all of that work every now and then.
Above all, try to stay optimistic. I’m tired, you’re tired, we’re all tired. But this doesn’t last forever. You only need to find one yes for now — and you’re not tied to that position forever. Maybe we’ll look back on this period of our lives someday and smile, knowing how far we’ve come.
But for now, I’ll keep maintaining this balance of hard work and feeling sorry for myself for a little bit longer.