Not more than 15 minutes after I published my last job search update post I got the email. I didn't get the job. In the moment I was crushed to the point of tears. There are so many factors it seems that go into getting a job. You first have to have a great resume and cover letter to get noticed among the sometimes 100 applicants to the same job. You have to have enough skills and qualifications to have someone give you a chance. Unfortunately, in this world you might even have to know someone. If any of these factors workout together you might get an interview. If you are lucky enough to get an interview you are then fighting in a smaller but more competitive pool. Once you are in the interview you have to really wow them. Stand above the rest. You can't say anything wrong, because sometimes even one wrong thing excludes you instantly.
This job at United Way was one that I thought I had all those factors right with. I apprently looked qualified on paper, got the interview, completely it well, I had two references that the interviews knew, and I still didn't get the job.
It makes me feel like I just can't catch a break. I wondered if it was appropriate to call your interviewer if you were declined a job offer and simply ask "what went wrong." I called, and my interviewer was very nice. She simply said I had a wonderful interview and there was nothing that I could have done better. I was even one of the top contenders. But it apparently came down to another applicant having a bit more qualifications than me. This job was pretty entry level and if I don't have the qualifications for entry level then what kind of job can I even get?
I'm quite upset at my very close but failed attempt to get this job. It leaves me discouraged and not knowing where to turn next. I hear time and time again "something will come up" or "you'll find something even better." I know I will, but it's hard to see that right after a blow like this.
Now a few days later to diffuse my sadness I can feel more level headed. I mean it's not the end of the world is it? I'm still breathing, the Earth is still turning. I feel ok, I'm just disappointed. To me I can use disappointment as a description when I feel I've accepted something. And here is where my own personal mantra can come in.
Now a few days later to diffuse my sadness I can feel more level headed. I mean it's not the end of the world is it? I'm still breathing, the Earth is still turning. I feel ok, I'm just disappointed. To me I can use disappointment as a description when I feel I've accepted something. And here is where my own personal mantra can come in.
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference."