Searching for a job is hard. I know most people “know” this, but I am not sure that most people “understand” this. Knowing and understanding are 2 very different things. I have been looking for a job for a while, and it is one of the most frustrating things I have ever done.
I am very careful about researching not only the position to which I am interested in applying to, but the firm or company as well. I work extremely hard to make sure that my resume and cover letters are absolutely perfect – no typos, no grammatical errors, good flow etc. I tailor every cover letter to the job to which I am applying, including statements of interest for the particular firm or company and relating my experiences to how they will help me thrive in that particular environment. When it comes to actually sending the application out, I am diligent to check that I have the correct addressee and either address or email address, that the email text is formal and correct, and that the documents attached are the proper ones to be sent. Searching for a job really is a full time job, but the pay and the benefits really suck.
While the applying is not fun, it is not the worst part of the job search. Sure, writing a million different cover letters is tedious. Yes, researching firms that all sound pretty much the same gets boring after a while. Definitely, it is discouraging that many firms will not even consider you if you did not work with them in law school or have 5-7 years of experience. Of course, it sucks when you are told the firm is not hiring at the moment but they will keep your resume on file. However, the absolute WORST part of job searching, for me at least, is when I get no response at all.
I understand that a lot of firms are not hiring right now, or have too many applicants, or that I am either under or over qualified for positions to which I am applying. However, I spend probably an hour on each application that I send out, making sure it is absolutely perfect, the least that firms could do is send an email stating “thank you but we are not hiring at this time” or “sorry but you are not a good fit for the position” because at least then, I would know where I stand. Rejection sucks, but being totally ignored is much worse. I have heard many times before that the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference. This statement while powerful, never hit home quite as much as it does now.
I really, really, really want a job, but at the very least I deserve a response.
Dealing with indifference and people/firms ignoring you takes gumption!
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