Messages to the weary:
The job hunt can be tiresome. Throughout July this blog will speak to those who are weary from the search. The intent is to join you in the struggle and to encourage you along the way. If you are not the one searching, perhaps you can use these words to encourage others.
Dear Weary Job Seeker,
Have you have been searching for a teaching job since the spring? Are you tired? Do you feel a bit hopeless? Do you feel like giving up? Have you been entertaining other career paths?
Here is a simple thought. Perhaps it doesn’t sound that comforting, however, it should be and I will explain why. The thought? Job hunting is hard.
This is a very important statement. You need to know that what you are experiencing is normal. You are not alone. Of course, you are now filing through your memory bank of other education majors who already have jobs and who have been enjoying their summer with the knowledge that they have a job waiting. That doesn’t make them normal. There are many people just like you, still searching.
Let me vent for you. Why can’t websites be uniform so that all of the job information is in the same place on every website? Why do I have to go through the same tedious steps with each new search? Is the tab at the top of the web page? The bottom? Do they call it Employment? Jobs? Human Resources? Or do I have to go to Human Resources, then Employment, then Jobs, then Available Jobs? Why? And then I go through the hard work of applying only to find out that the job is no longer available! I just wasted hours of my life and now I am wondering if anyone in the Human Resource world has ever actually had to look for a job. Then...then, oh don’t get me started about how hard I worked on my resume and now I have to fill out an online application!
Does this sound familiar? You are not alone. Others are feeling the same way too.
Yes, some people already have secured jobs. But their story is different than your story. Not better, different. You are learning things and developing as a person in a way that is different than your peers. Not better, different.
Take heart, there are still jobs. You don’t need 10 call backs. You just need one.
However, be aware that as you grow tired of the journey it begins to show. When you finally get to talk to that employer remember this: It may feel like you have been overlooked 100 times by employers. But not by this employer. It is the first time THIS employer has heard you express yourself. Shake off the frustration that you have gathered along the way and give this individual your best.
Keep your chin up! You’re going to make it through!
Jeff Eads, Assistant Director
Career Center
Ball State University
Muncie, IN