The ‘Woes’ of a Job Seeker
I Do
“Go on LinkedIn, apply for a job,” you say.
I do.
“That’s not enough. Reach out to me via a LinkedIn message to stand out,” you say.
I do.
I craft a detailed message to catch your attention and send you an InMail, using the credit I got from signing up for Premium, which could have paid for a meal in this new country.
Alas, only to be ghosted.
“If your resume has these, you’re sure to land a job,” says a man in a reel I come across while mindlessly scrolling on Instagram to distract myself from this endless job hunt.
I do.
I meticulously follow every tip he gives me, hoping to hear back from you, but there’s only radio silence in return.
“Add keywords because my bots can’t read,” you say.
I do.
“I know you’ve uploaded your resume, but fill in everything again,” you say.
I do.
“We have ample candidates, so we won’t be able to reply to you personally,” you say.
I understand.
But I hope you understand that I just spent 30 minutes refilling the information you can easily find on my resume.
However, you don’t pay heed, and I receive an automated email, “Thank you for your interest. Unfortunately, you aren’t moving forward.”
I smile in return, wondering…
If I should be thankful that in a world that believes in ghosting, you at least took the time to send me this automated email.
“Keep trying. We will have more openings in the future,” you say.
I… I am done.
As a job seeker in a new country, the process sure is exhausting. Being rejected is one thing, but being ghosted is a whole new level of frustration. It breaks the candidate’s confidence and leaves them shooting in the dark.
Yet, somehow we brave these challenges and go on to get stuck in this same cycle every single day.
Will there ever be a day when job seekers can break free from this cycle, or will that only remain a dream?
