Reality Check
I write a lot about confidence, knowing your value, believing in yourself. More often than not, my clients have doubts about their skills if they've been out of the job search for a while, doubts about their value if they've not had a paycheck in a culture that equates salary with success, and doubts about their ability to navigate a job search. Please, believe in yourself!
But today, I want to write about the other side of the coin, and that's about keeping perspective and recognizing three hard truths in the job search. "Your ego is your own worst enemy in your job search," said one recent job seeker. "You have to assume you are the least qualified person for the job you are applying for."
1. Career pivots are hard. Yes, there are transferrable skills, and, yes, people do find jobs for the same salary in a career pivot. But sometimes you will need to move laterally or even take a step back if you are changing careers. A company may feel they are taking a risk hiring someone from a different industry, even if the hiring manager is smart enough to recognize transferrable skills. If it's a good company and there is opportunity for growth, don't be afraid to take a step back in pay to gain entry to the place you want to work. I'm all for knowing your worth, but I'm also all for not letting salary be the end-all and be-all for your decision to apply to a job or to accept an offer. Please apply for a great job at a great company even if you don't think the salary will be quite what you had hoped. You won't know the salary and benefits package until you get the offer. You need to apply for a lot of jobs and you need to consider all options. Don't be blinded by salary issues if you have the opportunity to work with good people at a company that inspires you.
2. Remote jobs are competitive. It's hard to find exact statistics on this, but the word on the street is that there are many more applications coming in for remote jobs than non-remote jobs. This makes sense, of course, given the childcare crisis and the lessons we've learned (we hope so, anyway) in the pandemic about the upside of remote work. Applicant Tracking Systems are widely used for remote only jobs so you need to have an ATS-ready resume. Check out JobScan for helpful tips on making your resume ATS compliant.
3. You'll get rejected sometimes. If you don't get the interview, the offer, the job, move on. It's generally not about you, but about other factors you can't see (an inside candidate, a particular skill someone else brings, even a hiring manager's quirks). As much as we like to think otherwise, hiring is still highly subjective. Don't give up on a company if the thanks-but-no-thanks message indicates you are someone they'd love to consider for other roles. Follow up on that.
Your social media feed is filled with positive statements and affirmations. So is mine! And, I contribute to that. We need support, and we need to build each other up rather than tear each other down. My work focuses on strengths not deficits. But the hard truth is that there are hard truths. Knowing them can only make you stronger.
