10 SMH Moments of Job Searching
AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT
Written by: Lucy Lu & Sally Kishi
Isn’t job searching THE ABSOLUTE WORST???!! There's so many times during the process when I just want to #SMH, bang my head against the wall, or just have a complete meltdown. So for fellow job hunters out there, here's some moments to relate:
1) Job searching in 2020 sucks! It’s even worse when you are searching with a social science degree!
2) The uncertainty that the HR person may not even look at your application, after spending the whole day tailoring your CVs and cover letters.
3) The frustration from seeing “minimum 5 years of experience” as an entry requirement for the jobs you want - a job you are totally capable of doing based on its functioning responsibilities.
4) The fear of immense competition for the most junior, and even unpaid internships that you can barely afford.
5) The disappointment of seeing your same old spam-filled inbox after refreshing your email every 10 minutes.
6) The irritation from seeing the line “We only consider candidates with the right to work in this country” when you thought you found the perfect match.
7) And the most daunting feeling of all-- the constant sense of self-doubt. Am I even good enough?
8) Perhaps after a few agitating months of the same "applying--waiting--never hearing back" vicious cycle, you began to wonder, Do I even want to work in Development? Is it really for me?
All I ever wanted was to do something meaningful and maybe help make the world a slightly better place, but why does it feel IMPOSSIBLE to get a job?
9) The frustrations are real!!!!
Especially for a smart person like you, who has had a 3.7+GPA, achieved multiple merits and even distinctions during one of the world’s toughest education systems.
10) And yet, despite your intellect and hard work, you still struggle (or have struggled) to find the job you want.
Job searching can be a very daunting and demoralizing process as it is, the COVID pandemic and the social distancing measure is making the process even more challenging!
For real though, you are not alone and youth unemployment amongst social science majors are actually a systematic issue! Find out more about it here.
Many times, we are pushing ourselves to hustle harder and to continue striving for our #dreamjob. But DON'T forget it’s also very important to take care of #yourself physically and mentally 💖
The RE:Project is here to help!
We are excited to introduce Megan Fine, an amazing certified health and life coach, who works with young professionals to help create a life they love without sacrificing their #professionalgoals! 💼
Let us help you take a little breather and #heal your soul from job searching stress and burnout!
Next week, Meg will speak on the importance of self-care during the job searching process as well as answering all of your questions about mental health hacks that will help you reaffirm your self-worth!
👇👇👇Check out Meg’s intro below to learn more~~
Certified Health & Life Coach
FB 💻: https://lnkd.in/gE8sMgt
Insta📸: @coachedbymegan
FB community 👥: Personal Growth for Young Professionals (https://lnkd.in/gxutAFD )
For more interesting content on career building in international development/social science/humanity fields:
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https://www.linkedin.com/company/31100334
Join our Linkedin community for discussions and job opportunities:
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/10505565/
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Why should you join the RE:Project Community?
Our mission is to re-think, re-skill, and re-imagine the future of work for those in social science-related fields, with a focus on International Affairs and Development. We believe that technological changes have radically altered the way we work by disrupting skills requirements, creating challenges for young social scientists who largely rely on soft skills. Therefore, those pursuing generalist or qualitative disciplines will have to re-skill in an oversaturated job market favoring STEM and tech.
However, most universities’ career services do not yet offer such robust training for students. At RE: Project, we seek to help millennials and Gen Zs not only find a job, but build dynamic, “future proof” careers. We offer an active platform that demystifies career possibilities, helps build professional networks, and supports re-skilling for a changing job market.
At our core, we seek to reduce growing unemployment among young social scientists in an increasingly technologised job market. Our cutting-edge content allows our community members to stay current and learn from experts at the forefront of their industry.
In the short-run, we offer tailored career support by creating curated real-life, authentic content generated by real people of the millennial generation working the industries. Practitioners with 4–7 years of experience can offer as many insights (or more!) as 50-year-old CEOs and Directors about how to break into the industry.
This way, young job seekers can interact with mentors using social media live (visit our Linkedin page, Instagram coming soon), and blog posts.
User-generated blog posts, interviews, and tips will also be very welcome.
In the long run, the ultimate goal of this platform is to grow into the forefront community for the Future of Work for social scientists.
You can also get involved with our work as a mentor, a community ambassador right on organizational capacity. Find out more here www.thereprojectcommunity.com/get-involved