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I've been in my field for 10 years. I don't consider myself a superstar, but I think I'm good enough at what I do. Lately, the feedback I've been getting at interviews is "he's good at X, but we need someone who's stronger with Y." Rather than let it discourage me, I try to find the value in such feedback. If a company says they need someone who's better at Y, I go back and study more so that I become stronger at Y. But after a while, it starts to wear away at you. Has this happened to you and, if so, how have you learned to not let it get to you? Confidence is a big part of landing a job. If you don't seem confident in your abilities, no one will hire you. But when employers seem to be chipping away at you in interviews, it becomes a lot harder to maintain that confidence in yourself.
I believe you are correct in your assumption that self confidence is an important aspect of finding a new job....
Having said that......for your next set of interviews I suggest you project an expertise in field "Y" and field "X" if this is appropriate.
This is a very tough job market and people hiring are speficially looking for reasons NOT to hire because everytime they do....they put their job on the line as this is a person they recommend....and if the applicant does NOT work out for whatever reason....They are in the hot seat themselves..
Don't kid yourself ...in this environment everyones job is in jeapordy...(SP)
Be confident you can accomplish any task put in front of you and you'll do better on the next set of interviews..IMO...
Don't kid yourself ...in this environment everyones job is in jeapordy...(SP)
I'm beginning to wonder if this is all just psychological because I don't see people losing their jobs. I hear rumours that it MIGHT happen but it never does. Could it be that this "environment" is more rooted in paranoia than actual reality? Could it also be that employers and the media are the one creating that paranoia?
I'm beginning to wonder if this is all just psychological because I don't see people losing their jobs. I hear rumours that it MIGHT happen but it never does. Could it be that this "environment" is more rooted in paranoia than actual reality? Could it also be that employers and the media are the one creating that paranoia?
I agree with you. Maybe there are a few jobs that could be eliminated if the company wanted to. People left and right aren't losing their jobs. Your job is in jeopardy if you don't do the work, come in late etc.
I'm beginning to wonder if this is all just psychological because I don't see people losing their jobs. I hear rumours that it MIGHT happen but it never does. Could it be that this "environment" is more rooted in paranoia than actual reality? Could it also be that employers and the media are the one creating that paranoia?
Fear is driving a lot of our economic woes. Those who have jobs see the high unemployment rate, see people struggling to find work, and worry about ending up like that. Back when I was working, I felt that fear even though my bosses assured me my job was safe. Of course, the job did eventually end. Whether a person's fears are justified or not is beside the point. What matters is that this is how they feel. A lot of people today want to buy homes. They have jobs, savings, and could qualify for low mortgage rates. But they're afraid because they see the housing market. What if I buy and the value drops 30K? What if I lose my job and need to sell? Will I even be able to? As for who's driving the paranoia, I don't think it's the media or companies. Companies certainly take advantage of that fear by overworking their employees. The media reports on unemployment stats, but that's about it. The fear is just a normal reaction to things going on around you.
All I can say is our family has majorly suffered in this damn recession.
Since 2008 it's been downhill. Either my husband or me have been unemployed since then, or both.
We've had to live with relatives. We moved here when he got his job and now have nothing keeping us here.
Confidence is about a zero right now. Unemployment is just one of our issues.
I'm just worn out with this and so is he.
Sometimes you wonder if there will ever be normal again. Will you ever be part of the real world again?
Oh, and I think the media play a big role in the jobs/hiring. One day they try to convenience you there are jobs and unemployment is going down to persuade slow hiring employers to get people on board.
Then another report that is negative and there you see unemployment claims are up and the jobs disappearing again.
The entire 14 months I was unemployed I never lost hope... I looked for jobs every day. I didn't get depressed. I did what I had to do to survive on unemployment. The Georgia max of $330 a week is pretty horrible and I was having to pay $1400 worth of bills on $1320 in unemployment... and still had to buy food and gas.
When I finally did land a job it was 3000 miles away on the other side of the country. I had $20 in the bank, was roughly $750 behind on my bills from borrowing from Peter to pay Paul every other week. I borrowed $4000 from my parents to finance my move... I paid my bills, sold off a lot of my stuff, and made the move to Seattle on May 17th, 2011.
Next month will be a year out here on the job. Everything has been great... prior to moving here the most I ever made on a job was $40k in a year. This year I'm on pace for $67k. I've paid my parents back and have rebuilt my savings.
In the end the layoff was probably the best thing that has ever happened to me. I'm living in the most beautiful state in the USA with a great job and my stress level is 0 for the first time in years. Good things can happen... just stay positive. It's too easy to give up and go hide in a hole somewhere... so you can't do that. How did I do it? I just didn't think about it. I acted as if all was good during my job search and in the end it paid off.
The entire 14 months I was unemployed I never lost hope... I looked for jobs every day. I didn't get depressed. I did what I had to do to survive on unemployment. The Georgia max of $330 a week is pretty horrible and I was having to pay $1400 worth of bills on $1320 in unemployment... and still had to buy food and gas.
When I finally did land a job it was 3000 miles away on the other side of the country. I had $20 in the bank, was roughly $750 behind on my bills from borrowing from Peter to pay Paul every other week. I borrowed $4000 from my parents to finance my move... I paid my bills, sold off a lot of my stuff, and made the move to Seattle on May 17th, 2011.
Next month will be a year out here on the job. Everything has been great... prior to moving here the most I ever made on a job was $40k in a year. This year I'm on pace for $67k. I've paid my parents back and have rebuilt my savings.
In the end the layoff was probably the best thing that has ever happened to me. I'm living in the most beautiful state in the USA with a great job and my stress level is 0 for the first time in years. Good things can happen... just stay positive. It's too easy to give up and go hide in a hole somewhere... so you can't do that. How did I do it? I just didn't think about it. I acted as if all was good during my job search and in the end it paid off.
Thanks for sharing! Great story and glad to hear things have gone in your favor.
I used to look forward to interviews. But now you feel like you're fresh meat. The vultures circle the room picking at you and you walk out not only feeling drained, but just a little bit smaller than when you came in. People say jobhunting is like dating. You have to deal with rejection, you can't take any of it personally, you have to be realistic about what's out there, etc. But like dating, being rejected over and over can start to take a toll on you.
I agree interviews now a days have the atmosphere of a police interrogation and pysch exam rather than a discussion about qualifications and what you can do for the company. The companies that focus the most on BS often complain the loudest about not having qualified employees.
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