Worth More Than Your Job
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473ā¦Thatās how many jobs Iāve applied to in the last 365 days. While I have gotten around 10%+ initial interviews from those 473 (and around 5%+ to second or third interviews), I still donāt have a new job. It feels somewhat embarrassing for me to write that, but not being able to secure a job within a year of being let go is actually pretty common. Let me just say, it didnāt help that I moved somewhere during Q4, which is when businesses are least likely to hire. Also LA people donāt take you seriously or even consider interviewing you for the most part until you actually live here. Anddd then you have our close but not so dear friend Coronavirus, which has caused several of my job leads to be put on pause.
When I was let go last summer, I was completely blindsided. No, Iām not going to go into all those details again. (You can read about it here.) Though I didnāt write about it until last September, it occurred on the morning of July 3, 2019 - exactly a year ago to date. While I donāt really want to talk about it, writing about it is therapeutic for me and I still have feelings about it to work through. This platform lets me release feelings, while hopefully relating to those of others. With so many people who have last their job due to COVID-19, I wanted to publish a reflection piece to share whatās going on with me and what Iāve learned over the last year.
Madewell Ex-Boyfriend Long Sleeve Shirt | J. Crew White Jeans | Rockstud Sandals | Senreve Coda Belt Bag with Chain (cheaper chain here, use code ELLEMULENOS for $50 off your Senreve purchase of $300 or more.) | Kendra Scott Fallyn Bracelet (c/o) | Ralph Lauren Sunglasses
Iāve honestly learned so much, both about myself and the world during this last year; however, the biggest realization for me was how much I was attached to my job. Before I was let go, I never realized how much I considered who I worked for and what I did as a part of who I was. All of a sudden I felt stripped of something I thought was a right of mine which was simply not the case. I definitely took for granted being employed, especially in a field I enjoyed, but I also held the job too closely.
Iām not a big small talk person. Never have been! After I lost my job, I hated it even more. The most common question I received when meeting someone was āwhat do you do?ā. There are a million things I could have said when asked, but I would always freeze up, as it felt like a slap on the wristā¦a reminder of something I didnāt have. Luckily, most of the time Nick was also there and he could step in and answer for me. Note that you shouldnāt answer a question like that with who you work for, in fact I would challenge you not to! I would try to answer with what you actually do! For example, I would say I am a product line manager or specialize in content creation when asked. Nick would say he is in consulting, specializing in project management.
My two biggest takeaways from learning that I held my job too highly are:
1) It is okay to be passionate and love your career, but make sure you know who you are and what you are outside of that. If you ever lose your job, you need to know that for mental reasons. If you are so wrapped up in your job, you might miss the other, more important things in life.
2) When meeting others and engaging in conversation, try not to ask them them about what the do. People are often so much more than their job. This just might lead you to having a deeper conversation as well! If you need ideas/topic suggestions, I loved this recent post by the Career Contessa. I canāt believe she is only one of my recent follows. Such good info!!
Another big takeaway for me is that painful things can lead you to where you are supposed to be, if you listen and are willing to pivot. Iāve heard this soooo many times, but hadnāt experienced it to this degree before. If I hadnāt lost my job, we would not have moved to Los Angeles, which is where we feel we are supposed to be right now. I lost my job a year ago, but it was a year ago TOMORROW that we went to LA on vacation and joked about moving there. A month later (literally the week of August 3rd), we were interviewing in both SF and LA. Nick ended up getting a job offer on the spot in Los Angeles that week and a couple weeks later, he would make everything official. It all happened so fastā¦ I didnāt stop to see God working in those moments, but looking back it is so easy to see. I lost my job, Nick got a job, we were to secure a living space in a highly attractive area, where things donāt stay on the market for long, and scheduled a move in LESS than 3 months. Itās CRAZY to think about now. While Iām still somewhat hurting from my experience last year and how it happened, if it hadnāt kept my head somewhat up, I might have missed what was coming.
I was honestly kind of dreading the forthcoming 1 year anniversary, but in somewhat of a divine intervention, the sermon at my church last week was about how we are chosen by God, and it greatly lifted my spirits. Sometimes we we may feel overlooked and forget His faithfulness, but He is still good! Iām going to try and keep on trucking, keep on applying, and trusting that He has something better for me than these jobs Iāve applied to. Listen to last weekās sermon here.
Other things Iāve learned / had reinforced over the last year:
Networking is key. Flex who you know and try meeting / connecting with people! You can look great on paper, but that doesnāt always cut it.
Middle management hiring is hard. Many entry level jobs are available and hiring. Iām not below applying to entry level jobs, but Iām often overlooked as Iāve garnered a lot of experience over the years. Higher level jobs are hard because they often promote from within and only post the jobs as legally required to. This goes back to knowing people!!
Surround yourself with good people. You should always be doing this, but it is especially important when you lose your job or have other crises arise. You want to be around people who lift you up, support you mentally, but also in physical acts of kindness too.
Iām sure Iāve learned more, but that is all I can muster today. Thank you so much for reading and contributing to my corner of the internet. Though I donāt make enough from this blog for it to be considered full-time, every post you read, share, or even purchase from helps me to support my family. If youāre going through something similar, just know youāre not alone. Youāve got this! Just keep the faith. XOXO.
P.S. If you enjoyed this post, youāll probably like these:
What to do when you lose your job
Tips for applying for unemployment
How to know when it is time to move on from your current company
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