Everyone knows this feeling. The one when you expect a result. You may be looking for a position while working a job or even have a recent contract that has ended and are now looking for your next quest.
I am the second one, but now I have become a bit of both. The company I did a contract for has requested me back to do some very casual graphic design work until I find something else. Hey, what a fantastic opportunity! This at least shows the impact my work has made.
I’ve applied for almost 100 jobs in the past month. One of which was a dream job of mine! I am holding my breath waiting to see whether I will get it. I do want it!
I had one bite with a design job. I got past the second stage and to the design stage and then crickets. I have another bit where they sent me a little personality quiz for me today before a design stage. The company seems interesting.
Other than this, I’ve got rejection after rejection.
A lot of the responses go along the lines of;
Thank you for your interest in our company!
We received an overwhelming response to the position, which makes us feel both humble and proud that so many talented individuals (like you!) want to join our team. This volume of responses makes for an extremely competitive selection process. Although your background is impressive, we regret to inform you that we have decided to pursue other candidates for the position at this time.
Just as we at the company value our customers, we value our job candidates and invite you to review future job openings. We hope you see another position that sparks your interest!
Best wishes,
Or
Thank you for your application to the Design Studio for the position. After reviewing your background and experience, we've made the decision to not move forward at this time. I hope you don't mind if we reach out to you in the future when a position opens up that may be a good fit.
We appreciate your interest in Design Studio and wish you success in your job search.
These are 2 examples of some messages I received back from companies. Some were genuine and started like I may be getting close to getting it, then became incredibly disappointing. I can say though, the first one at least allowed me to get feedback and they were lovely people.
I appreciate a response telling me that I wasn’t successful. I really do. I have received a rejection email at least once every day. Which is nuts. I am a junior designer with 2–3 years of experience and a Bachelor’s Degree in Design (Visual Communication) from Western Sydney University. I fought for where I am today. I dreamed for this, I cried and bled. I am the only one in my family to have gone to university. I could only imagine my ancestor couldn’t have even dreamt of going to university. I came from a childhood where I was seen as dumb and delayed in reading and almost everything except art. Since then, I’ve grown. I’ve learnt. I am me. Brendan Quinlan.
That got intense for a second there. But where it says, a point I am trying to make is that rejection isn’t a bad thing. But it does chip away at someone’s mind or soul. Mental illness can be affected. Like a negative buff in a video game, it can chip away at HP or other things after a while.
Rejection and mental illness aren’t a great combination, especially when it comes to confidence. I came out of last year confident and wanting to take on the design world and break into the game industry and learn more! I found my passion for design. However, the more I get delayed, the more I am afraid I will lose it again.
I love what I do.
In my last article, I discussed whether I could get my dream job. This was prompted by an interesting video on YouTube by the YouTube channel "Answers in Progress." The video was all about the hiring process and how hard it is. specifically speaks about rejection. It touches upon the applicant filters and why writing is so hard.
We all know that writing about ourselves is one of the hardest things. The video touches on some strategies that seem to work! Like Visualization
As I said, it touches upon a new pet peeve of mine. Something called an ATS, or an Applicant Tracking System, which is an algorithm-based system that scans and rejects applicants, sometimes on ridiculous issues. Some CVs never even make it to a human. which, frankly, is depressing. It’s probably easier for massive quantities of applicants, but it is a messy and unreliable process.
From what I can tell so far, this article is more of a complaint about rejection from an Australian. It might be so. However, we know it is difficult. I would like to start a conversation about this.
Job Hunting Limbo is the name of the article. Are you in it as well? Let's take a look. Are you caught in a loop of rejected applications? If so, you're probably in job hunting limbo. Before my last job, I spent about 9 months in job limbo. I'm back in it now. In the end, it's more about what you do with the time in between. A potential employer might ask this. Other than job searching, what do I do? Currently, I'm sharing my ideas through articles. I'm learning new skills on Skillshare. Right now, I'm learning how to use Blender. I have dabbled in programming languages like C++ and Unreal Engine and have taken courses in social media marketing. Quite the schedule. However, for the sake of mental health, I play video games and continue to do art. I am also very casually doing some graphic design work on the side too.
Job Hunting Limbo is a time that is quite taxing, but it always has that feeling of potential and hope for each day. If it stays like that, the longer it goes on, the more it can become a sad and depressing time. I only hope something will come up for me soon.
All I ask now is what do you think?
I hope you have a fantastic day! Thank you for Reading!
There is a link to the video I mentioned below if you are interested!
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