Someone I know got a job, and I'm ashamed to admit that my first response was a twinge of envy.
Not of their new role, I have zero skills to do it and even less interest in their industry. The company and other job details were unmemorable, even boring. They told me they'd compromised on the salary and settled regarding the location.
They'd been searching for months, and while they were relieved, they weren't excited.
Still, my first thought was "Why couldn't I get hired?"
I haven't applied to a single role in over a year, making it impossible for me to be offered a job. I intentionally pivoted my focus to building and growing ZenSearch. I love what I'm doing. I'm helping people and making a difference. We're getting some traction, a bit of success.
Still, I wondered, "What's wrong with me?"
Sound familiar?
It's normal to doubt yourself when you face constant rejection, whether it's a daily stream of emails telling you they've "gone in a different direction" or the somehow worse ghosting. It's easy to think you'll never find something.
So I went there for a minute, but then it hit me.
My friend GOT A JOB. In this market. As an older candidate.
That gave me hope, and it should give you hope too.
My friend is hesitant to talk about their experience. They didn't use resume matching AI to apply. They didn't lean on their network to introduce them to contacts within the company. They didn't even use ZenSearch to find the opportunity. The company reached out to them.
I suspect they're uneasy because they think they should have done something special to get this job— jumped through more hoops (never mind the hoops over the past year).
They're uncomfortable saying anything because they're afraid people will react like I did initially, with jealousy and self-doubt. They don't want people to feel bad.
I'm advocating for them to change their perspective and proudly share their story and the real message— HOPE.
Because if it can happen to one of us, it can happen to all of us. Stay hopeful, friends!
---------------- Check us out at ZenSearch.jobs and share our platform with anyone looking for something new. Together, we can make job searching a little more zen.
