Thanks for this. I had my last job offer rescinded because I told them I would need to take two or three weeks off to recover from donating a kidney to a child. Since then I've been tutoring part-time but my bank balance is slowly sinking and I need permanent work. I hate the no replies. So much pointless effort (the manually filling out all the information that is already on your CV) for nothing.
ok i’m back (i acc risked being late for an appointment bc i was so eager to read this)
it was as accurate, surgically so, as i was expecting but what took me surprise is how much i laughed. we are so cooked and honestly the inventor of linkedin should be facing decades of jail time. sadly, i feel no better after reading your piece but i certainly feel seen. i’m, of c, so glad i subscribe to your newsletter
I already fully agree with the title, but when I read
“Your life must fit on one page, and one page only. Never unemployed, never non-linear, just… neat.”
I felt it was a very apt wording, and entirely true!
Perhaps the CV should be reformulated, so that it doesn’t just list conventional jobs, but also shows what mindset and values a person represents. This could even become the foundation of one’s personal brand.
It's forced me to get to the point where I have to internalize that I don't have to prove my worth or perform for approval.
The waves of panic are happening less often, and when they come, they are less strong.
I've pivoted 2x this year from Technical Writing to Truck Driving, and now I'm trying something new while probably driving a school bus part-time.
I've put it off for a very long time, but I'm just not sure what else to do at this point.
You can't always afford to move. To break the lease costs an arm and a leg, then there's the debt you racked up just trying to keep a roof over your head, and no money left over, even if you did up and sell your car (if you're lucky enough to have one of those). My one-bedroom apartment isn't set up to split it with someone else.
"Sorry, I can't get hired," won't stop a landlord from starting the eviction process.
I just celebrated the six-month anniversary of a job application I sent out back in March. I checked the portal and I'm still in the running, apparently. In other news, my aunt and uncle -- who've been married for over fifty years -- got engaged after dating for three months.
Good stuff. I wish more people would go all Network on the world("I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore") instead of accepting this bullshit status quo that continually gets worse.
A global strike is needed. Probably not going to happen, but it's theoretically possible, yet pretty unlikely.
And don't get me started on requirements for intimate and unnecessary medical surveillance, completely ineffective and counter-productive, just submissive urination to delineate your status vs theirs, acclimate you to the idea nothing at all is ever yours, not your mind, not your time, not your soul, not your own body. You are now an owned corporate commodity no better than a horse they have purchased and will comply as such.
Thank you for this. I’m in the middle of a demoralizing job search, and I feel more and more like a court jester in every interview. It’s nice to not be alone in that feeling
i was relieved when i discovered it wasn’t personal —that everyone looking for work is treated like garbage. i was not pleased, just relieved.
i lost everything during covid and have regained literally nothing over five years of begging to be worthy of being allowed to have my productivity stolen.
This hits close to home. I studied in an environment where everyone's hyper-competitive and they would stop at nothing to get a "good job". They are all about "personal growth", which means if you didn't hear back from a job application, it's your fault, simple as that. Not enough keywords. Not enough personal projects. Not enough experiences. Not good enough formatting. Not customizing your resume. Not being sincere enough in your cover letters. They pressure you into believing in what the companies tell you from the bottom of your heart, and you have to work your ass off to reach the expectation of these HRs, because that's how you "succeed". No one even bothers to think about why and how they are doing it.
Recently, though, I couldn't take the begging any more. So I started acting like Zoolandeer in every job interview ('Excuse me?" "You're excused. And I'm not your brah!").
I flipped the script. I read reviews on Glassdoor beforehand and roast them. I name-drop all the companies I said no to before them (“I said no to Amazon last Tuesday, why should I say yes to you?”). I cross-interview them and put them on blast for their shitty workflows.
In the great cosmic joke of the job market, that is perceived as 'being a real pro' (AH AH AH). I get more offers and more interest.
The cringe is the same (excruciating), but at least I don’t feel like indented servitude as much.
Thanks for this. I had my last job offer rescinded because I told them I would need to take two or three weeks off to recover from donating a kidney to a child. Since then I've been tutoring part-time but my bank balance is slowly sinking and I need permanent work. I hate the no replies. So much pointless effort (the manually filling out all the information that is already on your CV) for nothing.
Felt every single word.
Just wow. Feelings put so precisely into words. Thank you.
My pleasure!
ok i’m back (i acc risked being late for an appointment bc i was so eager to read this)
it was as accurate, surgically so, as i was expecting but what took me surprise is how much i laughed. we are so cooked and honestly the inventor of linkedin should be facing decades of jail time. sadly, i feel no better after reading your piece but i certainly feel seen. i’m, of c, so glad i subscribe to your newsletter
I already fully agree with the title, but when I read
“Your life must fit on one page, and one page only. Never unemployed, never non-linear, just… neat.”
I felt it was a very apt wording, and entirely true!
Perhaps the CV should be reformulated, so that it doesn’t just list conventional jobs, but also shows what mindset and values a person represents. This could even become the foundation of one’s personal brand.
Would you put this on LinkedIn where it can really do some good?
This and more.
It's forced me to get to the point where I have to internalize that I don't have to prove my worth or perform for approval.
The waves of panic are happening less often, and when they come, they are less strong.
I've pivoted 2x this year from Technical Writing to Truck Driving, and now I'm trying something new while probably driving a school bus part-time.
I've put it off for a very long time, but I'm just not sure what else to do at this point.
You can't always afford to move. To break the lease costs an arm and a leg, then there's the debt you racked up just trying to keep a roof over your head, and no money left over, even if you did up and sell your car (if you're lucky enough to have one of those). My one-bedroom apartment isn't set up to split it with someone else.
"Sorry, I can't get hired," won't stop a landlord from starting the eviction process.
I just celebrated the six-month anniversary of a job application I sent out back in March. I checked the portal and I'm still in the running, apparently. In other news, my aunt and uncle -- who've been married for over fifty years -- got engaged after dating for three months.
Good stuff. I wish more people would go all Network on the world("I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore") instead of accepting this bullshit status quo that continually gets worse.
A global strike is needed. Probably not going to happen, but it's theoretically possible, yet pretty unlikely.
So much this.
And don't get me started on requirements for intimate and unnecessary medical surveillance, completely ineffective and counter-productive, just submissive urination to delineate your status vs theirs, acclimate you to the idea nothing at all is ever yours, not your mind, not your time, not your soul, not your own body. You are now an owned corporate commodity no better than a horse they have purchased and will comply as such.
Thank you for this. I’m in the middle of a demoralizing job search, and I feel more and more like a court jester in every interview. It’s nice to not be alone in that feeling
every word a fact.
i was relieved when i discovered it wasn’t personal —that everyone looking for work is treated like garbage. i was not pleased, just relieved.
i lost everything during covid and have regained literally nothing over five years of begging to be worthy of being allowed to have my productivity stolen.
haven’t read this yet but ik it will reflect everything i’m going through rn: the frustration, the vapidity, the endlessness of the entire process
i will return to this to read in full as soon as i can
This hits close to home. I studied in an environment where everyone's hyper-competitive and they would stop at nothing to get a "good job". They are all about "personal growth", which means if you didn't hear back from a job application, it's your fault, simple as that. Not enough keywords. Not enough personal projects. Not enough experiences. Not good enough formatting. Not customizing your resume. Not being sincere enough in your cover letters. They pressure you into believing in what the companies tell you from the bottom of your heart, and you have to work your ass off to reach the expectation of these HRs, because that's how you "succeed". No one even bothers to think about why and how they are doing it.
Brilliant and beautiful
Yes to all of the above.
Recently, though, I couldn't take the begging any more. So I started acting like Zoolandeer in every job interview ('Excuse me?" "You're excused. And I'm not your brah!").
I flipped the script. I read reviews on Glassdoor beforehand and roast them. I name-drop all the companies I said no to before them (“I said no to Amazon last Tuesday, why should I say yes to you?”). I cross-interview them and put them on blast for their shitty workflows.
In the great cosmic joke of the job market, that is perceived as 'being a real pro' (AH AH AH). I get more offers and more interest.
The cringe is the same (excruciating), but at least I don’t feel like indented servitude as much.