Currently Reading: The End of Eternity (Isaac Asimov, 1955, Audiobook)
Movies Watched: Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
So I'm on the job hunt, right?
The first job is always the hardest to land especially when you've been in academia your entire life. It was my mistake to not have interned anywhere in industry before, little did I know. And now, sitting on a pile of student debt (from my master's program alone), I am fighting to get my foot in the door. And it can't just be any door... it has to be one that can lead me to where I see myself in 5 years, else it take much longer to get there.
Job hunting requires a certain kind of mindset, it seems. It's sort of like dating except more brutal.
Self-Discovery: You should know what you want - or have a really good idea of what you want. I want to be a lot of things. I want to know a lot of things. I like to leave my options open. But what I've learned, at least for this first job hunt, is I need to be very good at one thing and I need to clearly state what I want (for me, I chose clinical research or regulatory affairs). And if it wasn't obvious, people who are very focused and have zeroed in on exactly what they want to do are very attractive for very exact positions. They are able to state, matter-of-factly, who they are and how that is backed up and how that relates to what they want. As time goes by, it's been a process of really understanding what it is I need and want from a career as well as what I can bring to whatever role I'm trying to fill. (Man, this really does sound like dating...) The constant editing and rewording I am doing for my resume and CV is an evolution process. And I'm liking where this is going. Nothing's changing; I'm just starting to understand what's important and how to say it. (Then again, how do you not sound like every other
Soul-Crushing: #TeamSingle. Over the past month, I've gone through periods of extreme motivation and upbeat optimism... with occasional but treacherous bouts of dismay and insecurity. Questions mull through my head: "How does everyone around me already have a great and awesome job? Why am I so behind? Why does it take me so much longer to find a job?" And then there's waiting on responses after interviews. And then getting rejected or redirected. Or getting an offer and then figuring out you actually don't really want that. Hmmm. People have told me to enjoy this period of
It's taking a lot of effort. It took a lot of work to get the degrees and the experience and qualifications I have on my resume/CV but it's not like that means a job will just fall into my hands. It takes a lot of persistence to keep the applications, phone conversations, and followups going - so slowly but surely, I get on the phone with more people and begin more and more email threads. Dead ends can be discouraging but thus is life! It also takes a lot of hard work to prepare yourself for the unexpected. I learned from a friend of mine to always be prepared for an impromptu interview (he got to the final round for Google because he was always prepared!).
Remaining positive takes a lot of resilience and self-assuredness. Being confident but keeping it honest is a big balancing act in this phase of life. In the end, though, I'm really glad I get to experience "The Hunt" - it feels like an essential part of my personal and career growth.
Well, that's my 3AM spiel. I couldn't sleep. But now I ought to...
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