The Other Side of The Desk

As I sit and look for a job, I am once again faced with the question of how much rejection one person can handle.  Family tells me to hang in there.   Friends say it will happen when it happens.  Ex colleagues help with sending me postings.  But I still sit here and wonder why me.  I say all the right things.  I customize my resumes and cover letters.  I answer and ask thought provoking questions.

Years ago I had been unemployed and a high school friend took a chance on me and offered me a really cool job.  I left after a few years because I thought I wanted more. I was burnt out and ready for a change.   He's now in the same boat and looking for his next position.

When I decided to go back to school and finish my degree I thought marketing was the right choice.  It was a toss up between that and human resources.   After I graduated all of my positions were in marketing.  A very hard task to do, given so many people aren't working in their chosen field.

My search has left me listless and frustrated.  I truly believe companies are just looking for that one magic candidate that fits this preconceived mold, and they look no further.  If you garner an interview, you have to not only listen but be able to think on the fly and tell them what you think they want to hear.  You need to make eye contact, but not be overly aggressive.  Be positive, but don't be eager.  Ask questions,  but don't be pushy.

I'm finding that many companies cross post, which can be frustrating for a candidate. Other companies post as feelers and really don't have openings.  Yet more post salaries which are completely unrealistic and blatant lies. So many recruiters don't work for you any longer.  If you don't fit one position, you fall off the radar until you contact them again.

So much what this world has come down to is the notion that you are what you do.  I'm a doctor.  I'm an electrician.  I work with horses.  I support an executive.  How about I'm a mom, or a brother, or a granddaughter.  Do people really care that much about what someone does for a living?  They shouldn't.  They should care that you are a good person.  They should care that you do the right thing.  Asking what you do, or who you are, is often a fishing expedition to see if they are worthy of whatever it is in your head you are trying to figure out.

My last fifteen plus career years have been in marketing.  I'm an RFP Writer.  I'm a Marketing Manager.  I'm the Director of Marketing.  What I've realized of late is I am so much more, yet it is nearly impossible to convince someone on the other side of the desk of that.