A pessimistic optimist's job search journey

Yesterday was my first day at the new job. Couldn’t ask for anything more. I owe this blog a big update about the job offer so here I am.

I shared the following post in the Standout Job Search community 10 days ago and I thought I can share it here. To those who are looking for jobs: it may take longer than you hope for, but when the right opportunity presents – you will know it. Stay positive, stay confident and keep trying:

Hello fellow SJSs,

I have one more week of access to the program so I thought I will share another story.

In August 2024 I shared with you that after 2 months joining the program, I landed 3 job offers. I had a not so straight forward background; being a SAHM, having a career gap, planning for a career switch/comeback all combined, so managing to get back to the workforce was a big accomplishment for me.

However, 2 months into the job, I realized my manager and I were not a good fit. I went through another crisis as I was not sure if it was my problem, if I should try a bit harder or if I should quit as quickly as I can. I reached out to people for input;  as you can imagine, no one would make a decision for me and essentially the advice is always “Do what you think is right”. The day before Thanksgiving, I gave my notice at the end of a heated conversation with my boss. The conversation was the last straw, I was 95% convinced that leaving would be the right decision and was just waiting for one final reason to quit.

I did not want to go through the job search process again – with a 3-month employment record it is only going to be harder than the first round. But at the same time, I had the feeling that focusing on looking for a new job is probably better than staying with this current one. So I went all in again. I followed the SJS process almost from the beginning: including reflecting to see if I still want to do the same line of work, what I did right and what went wrong, I updated my story – I paid extra attention to crafting the narrative for my last episode, updated my resume, linkedIn, reached out to my connections, my professional references, researching companies & hiring managers, etc.

Here is the element of “job shopping”: in total, I applied for only 4 job posts:

• First position: applied straight on their website (I did that probably out of a panic moment haha). Within a day, I got a standard rejection from their system. Nothing new, as expected.
• The second position I applied for was at a tech startup: I reached out directly to the hiring manager, cold emailed him and only at the third follow up two weeks after the first email he replied to me. I got to the final round of the interview with 2 other candidates, did not get the offer but it was a great experience. It proves once again: my story matters & resonates with the hiring manager. Persistence is key; it put me ahead of all the applicants – despite me applying a few weeks later. The fact that I made it to the final round means that I am capable. I was not selected – not ideal but it was not personal. It’s the matter of a fit/compatibility with the hiring manager; so it’s normal that he may find the other candidate a better fit.
• Third position was at a big tech company: I reached out directly to the hiring manager and I also got his reply; very positive. Hundreds of people applied for this position over the previous month and again I got to the front of the line. He directed me to his HR manager; who was not so good with following up – but I didn’t take it personally. I followed up with her 3-4 times and I finally got an interview with her right before the holiday. After the holiday, while I was still thinking about the best way to reconnect with her, I got an offer from another company.
• And the last position I applied for was with a small but very prestigious holding company. When I reached out to my connections after I officially quit, one of them was a recruiter. I had applied to one of her searches before; didn’t make it past the first round but I kept in touch. When she heard that I was looking for a job again – she told me about her current search. I applied and slowly made it through all four rounds of interviews. Four candidates made it to the final round, and my interview was the last of the four. I didn’t expect to get the offer (imposter syndrome); but went into the interview with my best: did a very very thorough research about my interviewers, reviewed my best stories, wrote down my questions, brought with me my ShowDontTell – which had wowed the interviewers in the previous rounds, dropped some names of our mutual connections along the way, etc.

When I was done with the interview Friday last week, I felt very proud of myself without wondering whether I would get it or not. Having good conversations with great people is enough to make you happy! I sent thank you notes after the interview, and I saw my emails were opened many times – probably a good sign (use Streak).

In the back of my mind, I was prepared for a grand job search effort starting this week – when everyone will be officially back to the office. I saved all the relevant job posts on LinkedIn, downloaded ZipRecruiter back on my phone, I set out 2 hours every day for it, and most importantly I prepared myself mentally so that I could do it all again without doubting myself too much or too often – that was the hardest part for me. I also planned to reach out to the SJS admin team to extend my membership.

Yesterday morning the recruiter reached out to me saying that the company mentioned the interview went very well. With the other 3 candidates they did not provide any feedback at all. Less than an hour later, when I had all the jobs that I had saved before open in my browser, the COO called and offered me the position. Everything feels more “right” this time: the people, the boss, how they are running the process, etc.

💸: Bonus: this new job pays 25% higher than the role I quit.

Dec 6th was my last day with the previous job, and Jan 6th was when I got an offer. What a crazy month! Because I quit my job, I got to go on an unexpected vacation with my family. But during the trip, I cried with my husband – telling him that I felt at the verge of having depression now that I have to look for a job again. It was “scary” – when I quit, but I’ve learnt that I should believe in myself, I should go all in with courage, I should always give my best in every circumstance – especially, and even when I have no idea what awaits me.

I like to think that I made use the SJS twice as much, as I had to go through the job search twice within six months 😂

I hope my story brought you some positivity for the new year. To my fellows who are searching: Believe in yourself, keep pushing, don’t give up. I don’t know how long I can stay in this Facebook group, but feel free to keep in touch via LinkedIn. I will be happy to support you in any way I can. 🙌