Job Search Taking Too Long?

Have you been looking for a new job and find yourself surprised and frustrated that it’s taking so long? Well, let’s start with – IT’S NOT YOU! That’s right. I know after several attempts to land that next job and not receiving an offer is hard. It’s demoralizing. You start questioning yourself, your skills, your personality, well pretty much everything. The good news is it really isn’t you! In my experience, those jobs you missed out on weren’t the right jobs for you anyway. You’ve likely dodged a bullet. The company ghosted you after an interview? Or they were really difficult to interview with? Or they kept changing the schedule on you? Well, if they treat you this way during the interview, do you really think they are going to be better to work with? Likely not.
Let me give you two of the longest job searches I’ve witnessed. Both of these people successfully landed extraordinary jobs. It took FAR longer than they hoped or expected, but in the end, are grateful that they were patient.
Let’s call him Hugh. Hugh had very specific requirements for his next employer. He wanted to work for a particular type of culture, keep his casual attire and appearance, and sought a position for which he had experience, but not education. For his particular career, this was a difficult task. Yet, while it took him over a year, he finally did land in exactly the right job for him. He loves his company, the work he gets to do and is completely happy, despite the time it took. The right job just hadn’t been there at the start of his search.
Esther was in a dead-end job that wasn’t in line with her education. On top of that, it was the most toxic environment I’ve ever heard of. She was under paid, abused in many ways by her employer, and was desperate to move to a job that was in line with her education, feed her passion, and help her thrive. Yes, it took 3 long years – that’s far too long, but she made it. The morning I opened my email and read her news, I literally jumped for joy. She had worked hard, never given up, kept believing in herself and kept trying creative ways to land a new role. Now, most people don’t have to wait 3 years, but this is such a great story in not losing hope and keeping the job search going even when it might feel hopeless.
I always tell clients that the right job WILL be there at the right time. This is the mystical part of the job search. There is no rhyme or reason, no way you can change it, but there are steps you can take to keep the search active and moving forward.

1. Keep networking. Talk to anyone about what you’d like to be doing and the type of company you’re hoping to work for.
2. KNOW YOURSELF and be honest. Understand what you bring to the table that other candidates don’t. Do you have a trait or flaw that you’d like to get rid of before the next job? Well, work on self-improvement. Is there a skill that your competition has that you lack? See if there is a course you can take or volunteer work you can do to add this skill to your resume.
3. Think outside the box. Rather than just seek jobs in your line of work, are there other jobs that could benefit from your knowledge? I watched many people go to work for companies like Amazon or Microsoft because they had industry knowledge in areas those companies wanted to expand.
4. Don’t lower your standards. I always say that job hunting is much like dating. You have to know your non-negotiables (salary, job, culture, etc) and stick to them. Wait for that right job to come around. Taking ‘any’ job will only land you in yet another unhappy situation looking for another job. Caveat: yes, if you’re out of work and need to pay the bills, you may have to take what you can get….BUT…keep looking for that ideal position!

Yes, the job search process sucks. There is no other way to phrase it. Technology isn’t helping either. Companies are relying too much, in my opinion, on automated systems to choose the best candidates. The problem is, what distinguishes you is most likely YOU, something that doesn’t show up on paper. So keep getting out there, keep talking to people and keep believing in yourself. It likely won’t take you 3 years, or even 1 year, but regardless, it will always feel longer than you want.