I've hit my burnout aand then some. I left my last position in the height of the "great resignation" thinking that I would have ample choices and opportunities afterwards. I have since struggled to find my niche and foothold in the job search world. I have had an unconventional career path with positions in many different industries and departments, so I never felt like I had a specialty that I could continue in. I think my variety of past expereinces is my greatest strength....maybe I'm not applying to the right jobs or selling myself appropriatly. Any advice welcome!
Been job searching for almost 8 months...Help!
annamiller·Sep 28, 2022annamiller·Sep 28, 2022So sorry to hear you've hit burnout Kate! I think Elpha published a resource on that recently. As someone who has transitioned into various roles I can relate how it can be hard to position yourself the way you want when job searching. The process comes down to branding yourself and picking the right narrative based on the role you're interviewing for. It might be hard at first to place yourself 'in a box' but for the interview process, it can be beneficial so that you connect organically with the needs of the company and hiring manager. Happy to chat more! Feel free to reach out.
What kind of positions are you looking for? It sounds like your experience would work great with business operation positions.
Hi @christinephu. I am applying for a variety of roles including bus ops (since I have the most experience there). I'm also looking at Customer Success because it really interests me and I believe I hold a lot of the qualifications to succeed. Any other ideas welcome!
Sounds like you're a generalist, welcome to the club! It can be challenging to sell yourself in this market when most orgs are looking for specialists with X amount of experience, especially as continue on your career path. I invite you to check out Generalist World, a wonderful community that @millytamati started - lots of resources there. Also lots here on Elpha with regards to roles that would fit someone with a broad range of skills - as Christine mentioned, ops is a good start!
Hi @kateromero I am so sorry you’re struggling with your job search. I am a senior recruiter and can help. Will you email me your resume and I’m happy to talk anytime and carve out your strategy, sometimes a sounding board helps :) [email protected]
I'm in a similar boat. One thing I've been trying that is at least garnering lots of interesting informational calls is reaching out to my network stating that I'm looking for a position in a specific industry. This gives people something tangible to wrap their minds around, rather than "I'm just looking for any job." It opens up a conversation that sometimes flows into 'well would you consider this, I might know someone who needs someone who can do something slightly different"
@gussie102 thanks for this. I agree that I need to be more specific in what I'm looking for when talking to my network...even though I'm mentally at the point of saying "I'll take anything!"
Just keep going - keep applying. If you are not getting any responses at all, may need to re-polish your resume. If you are getting rejected at the interview stage, the resume is probably ok then and just need to work on interview skills.Also try to leverage whatever connections/network you have for referrals.
Hi @kateromero. It's completely normal and expected that the job search will take a toll on you. A job search requires patience, persistence, and resilience. It's important to have support throughout the process. Here are a few things I recommend:- Determine what support system you have in place to help you be effective throughout your job search -- Most people feel they have to go it alone and end up guessing where to spend their time versus leveraging a coach, mentor, peer, or other tools and resources to be strategic- By having proper guidance, you'll be sure to improve your approach to ensure you see traction and responses to your applications & networking; otherwise, the burnout can come from hearing nothing back- Determine your accountability plan to make sure you're staying on top of your goals & staying organized; give yourself a structure and a daily routine; proactively plan your time- Be sure not to approach the job in a transactional, check-the-box sort of way -- see networking and interviews as a mirror into the job you would land and an opportunity for two-way assessment of fit -- if you're approaching it in a heads-down way, you'll be putting in the time & energy & risk continuously doing that without seeing results. Once a week, take a step back to reflect on how you're doing and where you can improve. Self-awareness is key. Though it's not always comfortable to do, it can be pivotal to ensuring you're honest with yourself about what roles you should be going after.- Consider how many roles/industries you're applying to-- this may be a sign that you'd want to take a step back and pursue career exploration to clarify your ideal fit direction; career clarity will help make your search more efficient, targeted, and effective- Try doing a project -- this can drastically improve one's mental state during a job search. During a job search, we're in this "seeking" state but we often forget our value & skills. If you can do something productive and creative, it'll a) give you something to talk about during interviews b) remind & allow you to explore what work you want to pursue c) remind you of your skills & value & improve your confidence.- Don't ignore your self-care to ensure your mindset is staying resilient during your search - this should be a part of your everyday routineAdditionally, I’m linking a blog post about how to deal with burnout and maintain motivation during a job search here: https://www.iamwoken.com/post/how-to-deal-with-burnout-maintain-motivation-during-your-job-searchPS, I’m Rachel, a Career Coach. I’d be happy to discuss this further if you want to hop on a call -- check my profile for how to book time with me. I’m here to help! Talk soon!
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