Stay in the fight!

I had so much fun writing up my last job search piece, entitled “What Comes Next?” that I wanted to share again now that my search for my next opportunity has ended. As I’ve heard from colleagues and friends, navigating a job search during a global pandemic and alongside tens of millions of others is arduous. I want to not only share my great news (keep reading!), but also talk through my interview process. Hopefully my story will resonate with others, and we recruiters should all remember there are many, many people still working to get to the end of their own journeys.

Searching for a job when you don’t have a job is an entirely different beast, and something I hadn’t faced for quite awhile. There are the obvious doubts and insecurities, especially when paying bills is on your mind, and these affect your ability to take things easily and as they come. 

I was very thankful to take the summer off to recharge, and I definitely did that, starting my job search in earnest in August/September. The way my search transpired, I went through three separate phases, with primarily two companies going to final stages in each of those phases.

Setting Goals

As I mentioned in my earlier post, the biggest piece of advice I give to all job seekers is to be extremely crisp with what you’re looking for in your next role. (Protip: this is often an interview question!) 

Mine were:

1. A company with a great mission I believe in.
2. A company with great people, including my new boss, team and peer group.
3. A company that needs ME - who I am, and what I bring to the table.

I did a LOT of interviewing. I would wear workout clothes and no makeup everyday until I had video interviews scheduled. Then I’d shower, do my hair and makeup and hope that I wouldn’t get ghosted (that only happened once!). I told my stories many times, and while I was exhausted, I was also reminded of all the great things my team accomplished at Glassdoor. Stealing a line from the latest Recruiting Trailblazers podcast featuring Bree Silveira, I was getting my stories right for the time when I told them to my future boss and company.   

Some of my painful moments included:

• Experiencing auto-rejection quickly for roles where I should be 100% qualified. Why?! 
• Staying excited and “on” through long, extended processes.
• Being the first person to go through the interview process, and then waiting while they interview comparison candidates. (Extra frustration when they pick someone else after that!)
• Getting asked to complete a project, and then being ghosted after doing hours of work (this really happened!).

Things I tried to remember:

• You never know exactly what’s going on in the background. There could be internal candidates, dissension with the interview team, lack of communication with recruiters - really anything…
• Job searches take time. Patience is key.
• There is a delicate balance between showing excitement and enthusiasm, and following up too much (thankfully my introverted personality served me well here).
• At the end of the day, I’m waiting for the right role. When it comes, it’ll be right.

Success!

I am happy to announce that my search was fruitful, and I found my next amazing role. I will be leading the Talent Acquisition team at Blend, a 500ish person Fintech startup with a great mission. From the first video interview with my new boss, Marc Greenberg, and throughout the rest of my meetings, I felt something really special from the people I met. I couldn't be more excited to start my new role, to build process and polish, to help the company scale, and eventually go public.

In my final week before I received my job offer, and while I was in the very last stages with two companies, I felt an anxiety I recalled from my days of going through IVF before becoming pregnant with my daughter Izzy. This was my third real phase of interviewing (twice being a fabulous runner up candidate!), and while I felt certain one of these two roles would be my home, I very well could have been a runner up again. I called a few friends for advice, and got on my Peloton, as I’ve done most days during this pandemic. One of my favorite instructors, Kendall Toole, said some affirmation meant for the ride, that also spoke directly to me in my job search. It was something along the lines of staying in the fight, continuing to show up and give your all, no matter what the outcome. I had about one more week of interviews, and while I felt close to giving up, I instead stayed in the fight and gave my all. 

So to all those job seekers still out there, I’ll share Kendall’s mantra that she gives at the end of every class:

You are WORTHY 

You are READY 

And they can knock you down 

But they will never knock you out.