No. Hearing that answer is tough. It is demotivating. It is deflating. It is exhausting. Believe me when I say it, I have heard my fair share of hearing “No”. I am sure you have too.
Looking for a job is a full-time job. Have you heard that before? Well, if you haven’t, then you need to take it to heart.
I want to share a story that is very personal, but the purpose of writing it is to inspire others. It is over a decade later, and ONLY NOW do I feel comfortable telling this story. My whole life I have been told that things happen for a reason. That is hard to believe sometimes, especially when you are struggling. Things happen, and they NEVER happen on our time table.
In the early 2000’s, I was an Account Executive for a company. I liked my job a lot. I believed in the product. I, however, was not great at selling the product. It was hard for me to admit that I wasn’t great, but it was a very complex product, and only a small percentage of America needed or wanted it. Every day I woke up and made countless cold calls and knocked on random doors. I had metrics I had to make every month and a sales quota on top of that. I was given free reign during business hours to do whatever it took to be successful. I had a great month in November and December and then came January. January was busy with personal things. February was much of the same. March came too quickly. I was in trouble. I hadn’t made my numbers in 3 months. My boss called me in and to my surprise, I was put on a PIP (Performance Improvement Plan).
Well, things didn’t work out. I wish they would have, but in the end, my efforts were too late. I “resigned” after there weren’t many options left.
So, I was angry. I was frustrated. I was disappointed. I was sad. How did this happen? What could I have done differently? Then I thought about it for a while. I was sick of knocking on doors. I was sick of trying to sell a product to someone. I had to admit, for the first time in my career, I needed to make a change.
A couple of years earlier, I had an epiphany. I wanted to change careers. I thought this job was an answer, but clearly it was not. I REALLY wanted to go into HR. I had been in staffing earlier in my career and been very successful, so I wanted to take the next step in my career and move into HR. I was pursuing my Master’s degree and having this happen forced me into pursuing my dream.
Rejection. Oh how I felt rejection. I would have never imagined how much rejection I would receive. At first, I tried going after HR Generalist roles. I must have gone on at least 30 interviews. 30 times I put on a suit and tie and went to different companies to interview. My cover letter was compelling and my attitude was there, but companies always found someone with more experience.
It was 1 month… Then 2.. Then 4.. Then 6 months!! I was terrified. What was I going to do? I had a wife at home and I was embarrassed and ashamed. I then switched my focus to recruiting. It was sales, but I wasn’t pushing a product down someones throat anymore. I had recruited before, it had just been a while. I could jump right back in. Right?
Wrong.
Rejection again. No. No. AND No. I didn’t have any current recruiting experience. I hadn’t used an Applicant Tracking System. I didn’t have any experience recruiting for a specific skill set. I was so frustrated. No one would take a chance on me. Still, I woke up every day with a renewed attitude. Maybe THIS would be the day.
Then.. One Day… It happened…
I wasn’t expecting it.
I saw on Craig’s List that a former employer was looking for a Corporate Recruiter. I called up the hiring manager and he answered. He gave me an opportunity. I have to say, I have never looked back. I will never worry about job loss again. I know I will be able to overcome it.
What happened to me wasn’t by accident. It needed to happen. I needed to struggle. I needed to see what it was like to be “scared”. I was humbled. I know many of you reading this have felt the same way I felt.
You see, because of this experience it has made me the recruiter I am today. I am confident and willing to help most anyone in need. Years later it still seems so fresh in my mind. I will never forget those months. I will never forget the ones that helped me when I needed help the most.
In the end, persistency did pay off. You see, I had my mind made up I was going to succeed. It happened much later than I thought it would, and it was NOT on my timetable. That is okay though. I am a stronger man because of it. I have lived to tell the story to encourage you to not give up. Remember, you can do ANYTHING you put your mind to and GOOD does come from bad situations.
I would love to hear your story.
Will- This post spoke more than any of your others. Most likely because I am facing almost the exact same situation at this very moment. I spent a little over a year doing temporary staffing many years ago and then moved on to other pursuits due to layoff. After 10+ of planning conferences and meetings, vendor negotiations, etc. I decided the time was right to go back to school, complete my degree and move back into HR, either in recruiting or a Generalist role. I cannot seem to catch a break in that area and I think the most frustrating thing is that I cannot catch the break with my current employer. I have poured five years of blood, sweat, and tears into this company working for a couple of very bad managers but always maintaining a positive attitude and learning new skills along the way. In my five years here, four positions have opened up in HR and Recruiting and each time I have been given the brush off with excuses such as “we hired someone with more experience” or “you make too much money” ( I was willing to take a pay cut but not in half .
Very demoralizing but it’s nice to read your post that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. it is now painfully clear to me that my light leads me away from my current employer but I know I will find the break I am looking for. Thanks for your uplifting words of encouragement!
Hi Regina,
Thanks for commenting. The reason for writing this was to encourage others. I am not saying it was easy and it was one of the toughest posts I have ever written. It was one of the hardest times of my life, but you too can overcome. It may take making a change in organizations, but you will realize your goals. You have to take control of your career though, because no one else will. I wish you the best of luck and please keep me updated on your situation!
Will
Hi Will – Thanks for sharing your story. I think most people have had a hill to climb on the job front and absolutely learn what we are made of climbing that hill than what we learn being on the top of the hill. Sometimes what we think we want is not ideal, but every experience helps us take another step toward a goal – or creating a new one. Whether from a new relationship we made or a new skill we acquired. I wanted to be a Dental Hygenist (OK I love the Dentist ) and never had Recruiter listed as one of my goals years ago, but the path I was on introduced me to an opportunity to recruit and I have never looked back ever since.
Hey Sue! You are so right. I for one am glad you aren’t a Dental Hygienist 🙂 You are one heck of a recruiter!