(no subject)

[aumentou]

Over the last three months I've done more job applications than in possibly my entire life before.

Today I had my first job interview in five years.

This afternoon they sent me an email telling me I didn't get it.

I could have just spent the last three months playing computer games, and I wouldn't be worse off.

That said, events that result in binary success or fail results do give rise to unpredicatable lengths of failure. Ah, maths. Comforting, in a cold way.

Comments

[chiv.livejournal.com]

You could have spent all that time playing computer games but then you'd have had no chance at all.
Sometimes a single shot from a bolt thrower will bounce off a Harpy and sometimes a single elf will kill an Alter Kindred Lord. You might as well roll the dice, right?

[caerban.livejournal.com]

Took me an average of 2 years to get a job. When I was moving to my new slightly larger accommodations I went about throwing away junk as part and parcel of the move. I came across a file folder I kept for the Job Centre people to prove I was trying. It contained 123 rejection letters and a stack more printed out rejection emails. I guess I don't sell too well.

[tallbint.livejournal.com]

Sorry you didn't get it :(

[kissmedeadly.livejournal.com]

Cold hard maths - last time I checked, the average number of applications before getting a job was something ridiculous like 100, and that wasn't in the middle of a recession. I used to do 3-4 applications a week when I graduated (mental health aps are like essays, and each is unique in its own special way ;) ), and even when I became what is concidered to be highly employable, in mental health terms, I think I did about 20 apps to get 10 interviews to get offered 3 jobs. And that was mostly from extremely carefully targeting what I was applying for, and involved ringing people up on top of putting the application in to explain why I thought my skills from my opervious jobs were relevant and transferable.

Once I became disabled I was largely unemployable, and struggled to get even voluntary placements.

So. You are applying for jobs in the middle of a recession, after a seriously patchy career with at least one recorded dismissal for things like abysmal timekeeping and so on, after a year in which you cannot demonstrate that you have done much, workwise, and you have some issues that may well prejudice people against hiring you even if none of that more rational stuff did. It's frankly impressive that you managed to swing an interview in 3 months, and to my mind bodes well for actually getting a job at some point. Some evidence of current work experience in any capacity would be sensible.

And I can think of at least two major and extremely practical ways you would have been worse off had you not bothered to apply for jobs in the last 3 months, and thats without getting into any philosophical or existential stuff about work and life.

[child-of-chance.livejournal.com]

I've been trying to do at least 1 application a week since February, and upped that to 3 a week since the start of May, and only had 2 interviews in all that time, so I think you're doing okay.

[bonedancer.livejournal.com]

Practically speaking, perhaps, but at least you can point out that you tried to find a job and didn't in fact spend three months doing nothing but play computer games. To yourself, if no-one else. :)