Keep the Faith Job Seekers

By Bob Deakin

It ain’t easy, I know. A job post is only that: A post that there’s a job. I’ve walked all sides of the post, from working with management to create it, to working with human resources to write and post it, to being a job seeker trying to find it.

Keep the faith job seekers. You’re okay, and don’t let anyone make you feel otherwise. When job posts are written with SEO in mind, you know they’re seeking quantity, not quality. It’s an unfortunate consequence of the times.

I get it. Companies want the perfect hire, but of thousands who see the post, do they expect someone to relocate? The best candidate lives 20 minutes away.

It’s Not You, It’s Us

Those grapes are sour, but job seekers have been dealt a bitter hand.

After careful consideration, we've decided to move forward with another candidate whose qualifications better meet the specific needs of this role. 

Dude. It’s not you, it’s us. We found somebody else. Seriously, I’m not a robot.

Fret Not

Great positions are rare. The most insecure job is working for someone else. Have faith in yourself. You’re capable of more and overqualified in your current position. 

But that does not make you a bad person. It makes you an ill-fitting suit. Welcome to the largest department in the corporate enterprise.

You have worked hard to get where you are, and you’ve always been dedicated. You’re eager to learn and eager to impress. Sure, you’ve had misguided energies in the past and you’re often misunderstood, which puts you in good company. 

Comfort in the Workplace

It is not like your parents and grandparents experienced back in the day. They may not have liked it either, but the workplace was a different world. They developed deeper friendships at work because job security was a thing. 

They had Christmas parties, went out after work and knew each other’s children. If they looked for a new job it was cut and dry. They got it or they did not. A phone call sealed the deal. From a person. The only robots they knew were on TV.

The work environment isn’t natural. Some are good with it and some are not. It can be comfortable after a while, but comfortable is a relative term. In the workplace it means tolerable. 

Have Faith My Friend

This isn’t a religious endorsement, but have faith, my friend. The world of job seeking is as impersonal as it comes. If you find a place that proves otherwise, you are blessed.

You did nothing wrong other than exist in the current generation. Being rejected or ignored applying for jobs doesn’t make you a bad person and it doesn’t make you unqualified. 

Quite the contrary. You deserve better from prospective employers. Employers often deserve better from job seekers too. Bad manners should not breed bad manners, but that’s where we are. 

Have faith, my friend. Submit that resume and your best cover, but don’t take it personally if you’re treated like nothing. You are far, far from it. Look in the mirror and smile.

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