Dear Diary…When did job hunting become online dating?

My, oh my…how times have changed. Everything I knew about landing a job seems to no longer apply. It feels like a literal twilight zone…let me back up a bit to provide the full context here.

I worked for a very successful and well known organization from 2006 to 2022. 17 YEARS, talk about tenure…am I right? During my time with them I worked my way up from Customer Service Associate to Regional Manager. Then I transitioned into the corporate office in an Executive capacity where I held roles around Analytics, Strategic Operations, and Business Integration. They created a role specifically for me and my skillset which then became it’s own department and I got to bring in an incredible team. I worked directly with our CEO and our team partnered with our Department heads on all their initiatives and implementation. I participated in board meetings, oversaw our merger and acquisitions of other businesses…it’s a pretty glowing resume if you ask me. After all, I did handle our recruiting for Senior Field Positions and Office roles so I feel like I have a pretty good grip on it. But, reminder, I have been with the same company since 2006 and not been “in the market” for a new job in 17 years. Sure, I am staying with the times on recruiting systems as technology advances, but, I have not had to experience it first hand on the other side.

Then, in April of 2022 in the midst of an excruciating merger and my peak stress with work, my body simply said ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I had a medical emergency that resulted in me being rushed to the ER and admitted for a 4 day stay. As you could imagine, this was a defining moment in my life. At the end of it all, this health crisis plus one additional professional experience brought me to the decision to walk away from my long term career with this company. I was fortunate enough to have a new opportunity lined up for me through one of our previous owners so I again did not have to go out to the market for a job. After a year I found myself in a position where I needed to leave this new role as well and for the first time in my life…have to “job hunt”.

I was honestly feeling good about it! I was excited for something new in my life and feeling confident in my ability to land something given my work history and the glowing recommendation from my previous CEO. Looking on LinkedIn and Indeed at all the opportunities that so closely aligned with my experience had me even more pumped. Companies I love were hiring for roles “perfect” for me! I submitted away on applications and moved on to personal follow ups. This is where I hit my first roadblock. Nobody freaking talks to anybody anymore. I grew very frustrated at my inability to call or email someone directly. Searching for someone who works for the company on LinkedIn felt wrong like a creeper and I did not want to do it. I tried to wait patiently on responses to my applications, but, CRICKETS. I tried not to get too discouraged and continued on applying for opportunities. Eventually I started to get no reply email responses thanking me for taking the time and notifying me they were going in a direction for someone who “more closely aligns with their needs”. The rejection began to flood in and morale was getting low. I had a multiple friends review my resume, I spoke to an old business consultant I had worked with for advice, I sat back and did what I do best and analyzed (or should I say over-analyzed) the situation to try and determine what was happening here. My conclusion was this…we’ve gone too far with technology and the automations. There is no human element anymore. Algorithms are dictating who is and who is not qualified which is too black and white. While I have strong work history there is one thing missing…formal education. I did not complete college. I’m pretty confident this has been one of the key contributors to me being rejected by the systems.

With the world mostly remote, the candidate pool is so much larger. This results in an overwhelming number of applicants which in return creates the need for these prescreening techniques. The issue here is we are completely removing the human element. Amazing candidates are not even being considered which is CRAZY. As I embark on my 7th month of the job search I’ve realized this feels A LOT like online dating. An application matching you with people based on key words and algorithms, being judged by people before they even speak to you, the stress and anxiety of initiating conversation and waiting to see if they respond, the rejection with no reason why…actual online dating flash backs.

But, lucky for me…I did meet my husband on an online dating app so I somehow still have hope. It took a long time, but it did work out eventually. So I am doing my best to maintain that mindset through this experience and holding out hope that I just haven’t found what I am supposed to do next. This experience has challenged me to work on my faith, patience, and trust in the Lord that he has something in store for me. This has brought me so much peace through a challenging period of life and thankfully strengthened my family and my relationship with Him.

If you are in a similar situation, try not to get discouraged. Feel your feels, but make sure to have faith and trust that He will provide when it is time.