Searching for a job is a lot like online dating.
You start
out excited. You fill out your profile, and a couple more just to be
safe. You're transparent, thinking you'll find someone who values the
same things you do. You don't expect Prince Charming, but you're
confident you'll find someone acceptable fairly easily: you're
attractive, have interesting hobbies, and are a good person, so how hard
could it be when you have so much to offer? Your first messages arrive
soon...
...and it's the old trolls who think you're young and
dumb with no idea what you want: easy to use and lose. Ah, insurance
sales companies. You have technical skills and years of experience, but
that's "not a problem." You can be trained to like what they have to
offer--it's not what you want, but they think it should be.
Delete. Delete. Delete. Did you just break the delete key?
Ok,
relax, browse listings. "That guy" is described as VGL (he's not!) and
successful; you'd love to try his hobbies, but he needs constant ego
stroking. This unknown company thinks it's Fortune 500 and they need everything you offer. You get
to travel the world on their dime while building your LinkedIn
portfolio doing high level work that requires years of experience...a
great opportunity as an unpaid intern.
Skip.
Nice,
this guy has it all. He's attractive with similar interests. And, wow,
he messaged you back! But he only wants one thing, and it's not your
needs. He'll only be a minute, though, so tough it out: you should be
honored to get with him. This employer advertises full-time work as
"freelance" to force the company's tax burden onto the employee. They
know they're top dog and think you should be grateful to have their
scraps.
Pass.
By now, you're discouraged. You think
something is wrong with your approach, but your friends say, "your
profile is great, you should be getting dates!" while your colleagues
just commiserate with you over today's options. Both suggest the best
solution is to get lucky, accidentally discovering someone in the
supermarket. Discouraged, you continue to spend months alone.
Occasionally
you meet someone who says you're everything they want--and they're more
than happy to tell you about all the wrong guys they choose over you.
These employers claim they can't find good employees. Their own systems
weed out talented candidates in favor of those who have the most time on
the job, and they use this error as reason to outsource and further
hurt you, the good employee.
It took me a very long time to find
an amazing boyfriend--but the job search has higher stakes, the very
ability to live, which cannot wait. Looking for work shouldn't be a
childish game that spans more than seven years. The old troll, "VGL"
guy, and the self-absorbed jerk need to be fixed--as soon as possible.
They're sowing their seed at our expense.
