Reflections on unemployment 1: Everything sucks.
 |
| I've been practicing my photoshop lately. Starting to get some really seamless results! |
For the first few months of this year I suffered my first significant period of unemployment in my career. Having now "come out the other side", I thought it would be interesting to look back and see what I learnt through the process, so I'll be writing a few blog entries on this over the coming weeks.
"Everything sucks" is probably a strong way of putting it, but looking back, that's largely how it felt. Let me elaborate.
Being let go sucks
Yes, I know it's not personal. Yes, I know it's not to do with performance. Yes, I know it's a chance for exploring "bigger and better" things.
But I really liked my last job, and was genuinely sad to leave the mission and the people.
And I was sad that the company wasn't prospering the way it should have been...which is probably due to the horrible "macro-economic climate" as they say - and I feel deeply for everyone else caught up in this mess too.
Being unemployed sucks
I'll likely go into this in more depth in subsequent posts, but suffice to say being unemployed isn't exactly a Vladnik carnival. It's rubbish not to be able to do what you enjoy, feel like you're not adding value and generally go through the emotional rollercoaster that unemployment represents.
CVs suck
You measure the success of your CV based on how many interviews it gets you. Over the years my CVs have always performed very well for me. This time? Not so much. Was it too narrative? Was it lacking in detail? Too long?
The truth is, I think my CV's fine. I just think the whole concept is flawed. The idea that two degrees and a couple of decades of experiences should be summarised on two sides of A4 seems ambitious. Further more when it needs to serve so many different audiences...it needs to be optimised for "the algorithm", key words should be front and centre so the Talent Acquisition team can check them off. You need to demonstrate character, so the hiring manager will view you as "cultural add". And putting something on your CV to please one person may well displease someone else.
Then, of course, you're supposed to customise the CV for every role, so that the appropriate key skills can be highlighted.
And even once you've done all this, it may well just be chucked in the bin because they've had too many applicants, or have filled the role, or pulled the role...
And even once you've done all this, it may well just be chucked in the bin because they've had too many applicants, or have filled the role, or pulled the role...
Working on you CV just feels like a thankless hoop-jumping exercise.
There are some green shoots of recovery...sites like otta and cord attempt to help you find roles aligned to your skills without purely relying on the CV.
Covering letters suck more
You just play back their own job description to them. Or repeat chunks from your CV. Or "add character" that will either make you stand out, or send your CV straight to the bin depending on who reads it. Just a terrible waste of time for everyone involved.
Job descriptions suck
I came across very few job descriptions that actually gave me an idea of what working for the company would be like, or the kinds of work I'd be doing. Lots are a laundry list of skills, often contradictory. Most serve to make candidates feel like they're not smart enough to do the job. Like you're not the unicorn every company is seemingly after. Like just being really good at the job you're applying to do is somehow not enough.
Applicant Tracking Systems suck
Don't get me wrong, there is a scale here...with some actually quite good systems at one end - and Workday at the other.
The number of ATSs that request you to rekey information is just shocking. Yes, that same information that is already on your CV you've attached. And the covering letter you've had to attach. And the LinkedIn profile you've had to attached. Got to have it all typed out in the format they want. Maddening.
And then you have to answer a bunch of questions. It's really unclear to me how much time and effort employers expect you to put into these. Are they so self-absorbed that they believe they're going to be the number-one choice for every candidate, and that every candidate is going to be willing to spend half a day answering their screening questions? Or do they understand that their application is one of 20 you're trying to get through today, so you might spend 10 minutes writing a couple of paragraphs, but that's as good as it's going to get..?
And then you have to answer a bunch of questions. It's really unclear to me how much time and effort employers expect you to put into these. Are they so self-absorbed that they believe they're going to be the number-one choice for every candidate, and that every candidate is going to be willing to spend half a day answering their screening questions? Or do they understand that their application is one of 20 you're trying to get through today, so you might spend 10 minutes writing a couple of paragraphs, but that's as good as it's going to get..?
Fundamentally, these ATSs feel like they're the platforms on which the hoops are set for candidates to jump through. Like I said, some ATSs are better than others, but I've yet to come across one that really feels like it works for the benefit of the candidate. This makes the whole process feel distinctly one-sided.
Ghosting sucks
The amount of ghosting was really disappointing. I tried hard to only apply to "good companies" that looked like they should offer decent CX. Or otherwise to deal with people that I've a pre-existing relationship with.
I'd have hoped that these things combined would have meant I got a response to most applications, be it good or bad.
In the end, the opposite was true. In the vast majority of applications there was just no response at all. I applied and got no response. Sometimes I got through to screening then got no response. A couple of times I got through to interview then got no response. It's just really poor. If you're going to make candidates jump through hoops to apply to your roles, the least you can do is ping them a rejection email if they've not made the cut.
In the end, the opposite was true. In the vast majority of applications there was just no response at all. I applied and got no response. Sometimes I got through to screening then got no response. A couple of times I got through to interview then got no response. It's just really poor. If you're going to make candidates jump through hoops to apply to your roles, the least you can do is ping them a rejection email if they've not made the cut.
Interviewing sucks
Hear me out, I'm venting a little...and I'm not saying that I've any better ideas...but when you're unemployed, interviewing is tough. Interviews are literally the time when you have to show off your best self. And when you're unemployed it's really difficult to feel that way about yourself.
Interviews are also very draining....and that's a lesson I'll be taking away from this process, for sure...don't do more than one interview in a day. I interviewed for a job I really wanted, but it was the last of three interviews that day, at 4pm or something...and I was just running out of steam. So, of course, I didn't get offered the job because I wasn't energetic enough. Lesson learnt.
Aside: Why would I do three interviews in one day in the first place? It's obviously not a good idea, so why did I do it? I was feeling desperate. I didn't want other candidates to get a march on me by interviewing first - so I tried to interview for everyone as soon as I possibly could. And, as such, I did a couple of daft interviews that never went anywhere and allowed them to stuff up my performance in the one interview I cared about. It's very difficult to be discerning when you need a job - you feel like you have to explore all avenues.
There's also seems to be an increase in structured interview techniques these days. System Design interviews. STAR answers. Things you have to practice. Why should I have to practice some specific exam question format so that I can pass the interview to get a job that I can clearly do, as demonstrated by having done it for a decade? It's very frustrating.
Waiting sucks
A couple of days can feel much longer when you're waiting for news...and it's very common for things to take longer than you think. "We'll get back to you in two days" turns into "we just need to check this with the director next week" turns into weeks of waiting around for feedback.
Rejection sucks
Obviously.
Probably more things suck
I've covered off the main things that popped into my head, but there are doubtlessly many more aspects of unemployment that just suck.
So, why would I write about everything sucking. Is it a call for everyone involved in recruitment to just do a bit better. Yeah, a bit.
So, why would I write about everything sucking. Is it a call for everyone involved in recruitment to just do a bit better. Yeah, a bit.
Mainly, though, it's just so that other people going through unemployment can see that someone else feels them, that they're not alone going through it, and that it's very much OK to feel like the whole thing sucks.