I’ve been unemployed for most of this year. When I decided to leave Teaching, I expected to gain a new position within a couple of months. Needless to say, that didn’t happen. I’ve applied for a lot of positions – Educational Resource Creator, Education Officer, Administrative Assistant, Library Officer, Exam Supervisor and Retail Assistant – but 99% ended in rejection. I’m not used to failing, so it was definitely a shock to the system. Anytime someone would ask me how my application had gone or what I did for work, I felt ashamed, embarrassed and depressed. Isn’t it astonishing how much of our own value we place in our careers? In the end, I was able to get some seasonal work and do a little freelancing on the side, but it’s not a full-time income.

The last six months have certainly been a learning experience. Some of this learning has come from the book, What Colour is Your Parachute by Richard N. Bolles which I’ll discuss later. If you’re considering buying a copy, you can read my review here. The lessons I’ve learned over the last six months have definitely changed my perspective on job hunting. Hopefully you can learn from my mistakes. I certainly wish I had known all this six months ago.

Lesson #1: It’s not always who you know

One of the most common pieces of advice I’ve been given in my job search is to “use your contacts.” In theory, it’s a great idea. In reality, utilising my contacts has only led to a job a quarter of the time. My contacts are limited. I’ve moved to three completely different areas in three years. I’ve changed career paths. Sometimes your contacts can’t help you out.

Even though I haven’t had much job success in the last six months, every job I’ve received over the last three years has been won on my own merit, without knowing anyone there. I tried utilising my contacts this year and it didn’t work out. I’m not saying that using your contacts to try and get a job will never work, but personally I’ve found that relying on contacts to help you out is not a healthy (or quick) solution. It’s far better to be resourceful, independent and to apply for as many positions as possible, rather than waiting on one possible job from a contact.

Lesson #2: Transferable skills don’t always cut it

Gone are the days when you could rock up to a job interview with “no direct experience, but plenty of transferable skills.” A few months ago, (in my head) applying to say, an administration job with only a teaching degree seemed achievable. I know, what an entitled millennial, right? But the thing is, when there was less competition for jobs (pre-2008), employers were so desperate for workers that they would take on people with transferable skills and zero experience.

Because there is so much competition for jobs now, however, employers will always have someone apply with the exact specifications listed on their job ad. In fact, they will probably have hundreds! Having relevant experience and a qualification (if required) is a must for any job you want to apply for. If you need experience, try volunteering first.

Lesson #3: Never underestimate the power of research and interview questions

In my opinion, the worst part about preparing for an interview is researching the company (and trying to memorise it). It just takes me back to high school when I would spend hours cramming for History tests. Unfortunately, knowing the company is one of the most important things you can do to prepare. If you want to impress and show that you’re interested, you need to know the history of the company, its values and any other information you think is relevant. In one of my interviews, all candidates were asked to complete written responses outlining how we demonstrated the company’s values in our own lives. Boy, was I glad I had done my research in that moment!

The interview questions that you ask at the end of an interview are also extremely important. Sure, you can ask a few standard ones, like “How would you describe the company culture?” or “What are the day-to-day responsibilities of this position?”, but sometimes interviewers discuss them before you even get a chance to ask! Make sure you have a few out-of-the box questions up your sleeve as well. If you don’t ask any questions, you will come across as uninterested or unprepared. Always have some of your own questions planned. Even if a potential employer calls up asking you to “come in for a chat”, prepare as if it’s an interview. Because it is.

Lesson #4: Be aware of illegal questions or ones that may prevent you from getting the job

This riles me up. I wish it wasn’t so, but money is the main focus of most companies. Most questions in an interview will be used to determine how much you’ll cost them and how much value you’ll bring. Sometimes their questions cross the line. Thankfully I’ve never been asked anything illegal in an interview, but it does happen, so it’s best to be prepared. Find out what employers can and cannot ask and how to deal with it here.

Illegal questions are a possibility, but it’s far more likely that potential employers will ask something as simple as “Have you got any holidays planned?” to find out what they want. This is perfectly legal. I prefer to answer honestly, but it doesn’t always work in my favour. When I was being interviewed for some retail positions, I was asked this question. I had planned a holiday to Europe for a few weeks in September and October, and as this was five months away, I didn’t see the problem. I later found out that September is the start of the Christmas shopping period. No surprise I didn’t get a call back! Make sure you’re aware of and prepare for questions like this as they could disadvantage you in an interview.

Lesson #5: Never discuss money until the end of a face-to-face interview

I feel so silly about this point, but if it will help someone else avoid the same mistake, I will share it. Earlier in the year I applied for an amazing Education Officer position – one that rarely comes up. It was honestly my dream job, so you can imagine that I was beyond excited when someone from the company’s HR gave me a call! It was out of the blue and the lady wondered if she could ask a few questions then and there. One of them was, “What is your expected salary in this position?” To be honest, I had no clue what a reasonable salary in this position was, but I didn’t want to say, “I don’t know”, so I said the figure that I would be earning as a full-time teacher. Big mistake!

I didn’t know it at the time because I’d never had a call from HR before, but HR’s main job is to eliminate candidates. Answering a question about salary before you’ve even gone to an interview is a sure-fire way to get rejected because it leaves no room for negotiation. If the subject of money comes up in an interview, I’d recommend following the six steps mentioned in Chapter Five of What Colour is Your Parachute. The main thing to remember is this:

Quote from What Colour is Your Parachute by Richard N. Bolles. You can buy it here.

Lesson #6: Persistence is a must

As you can imagine, I didn’t get the Education Officer position mentioned previously. I was upset, but I was more determined to find out why I didn’t get it so that I could be successful next time. Employers are busy people, so sometimes when you request feedback, you hear crickets. If this happens, politely follow up until they respond. If they don’t reply to your email, give them a call. Without feedback you can’t improve, so it’s important to be persistent, even if you feel like you’re being annoying. Employers probably won’t see it that way anyway.

Lesson #7: You will eventually get a “yes”

I’ve applied for more jobs this year than any other. When you spend days writing the perfect cover letter and describing how you meet selection criteria, only to have every single application rejected, it gets extremely disheartening. You need to remember, however, that the response you’ll typically get in the job hunting process looks like this: No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, yes, yes, no. This means that you may have a string of bad luck, but you will eventually get a job offer (or two at the same time). Perhaps you need to make some changes to get there, but giving up altogether will do nothing but prevent you from obtaining the inevitable “yes”. Getting a job offer is bound to happen, so just keep trying, okay?

Job hunting is challenging and will inevitably come with a lot of rejection. If I’ve learned anything from the last six months it’s this – be proactive, get experience wherever possible, make sure you’re well prepared for interviews, be aware of illegal questions, ones that may disadvantage you or ones that may eliminate you, and finally, that persistence will pay off. If you’re prepared to learn from your mistakes and persevere (and take my advice), then you will eventually have some success. What are you waiting for? Roll up your sleeves and let’s get to work!

Got any job hunting tips? Share them in the comments below. Like what you read here? Follow me on Instagram, @empoweredmillennialgirl for even more free tips and inspiration.

Best of luck in your job search!

Grace x