Dark Side Of Job Hunting

The Dark Side Of Job Hunting That No-One Talks About

I’ll be honest, this one is personal…

I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of coping and thriving under adversity.

And I feel like almost every personal development program is focused purely around just “becoming successful.” Everyone has a plan about what they’re going to do when they’re making bank.

Ask anyone what they’d do if given five million dollars and they’ll say something along the lines of…

  • Buy a Ferrari
  • Buy a yacht
  • Buy a mansion
  • Buy a diamond studded Rolex
  • Travel the world
  • Live it up in Vegas hosting lavish parties

You get the picture.

And there’s nothing wrong with those things!

In fact it’s great to have a plan that you’re working towards to achieve financial security, and even financial freedom in your life.

But here’s where it gets interesting…

Ask that same person what they’d do if they woke up tomorrow morning and all of their money was gone – and you’ll see a blank face.

Everyone’s ready to accept success into their life with open arms. But very few of us are prepared and ready for life’s random serving of failure.

“But Will, what’s this got to do with job hunting (and the dark side of it?)”

Well in this article I’m going to break down the dark side of job hunting that I experienced while being retrenched last year. You’re also going to learn some of my thoughts and meditations from this period in my career.

If you’ve been retrenched or fired, then I’m sure this content will ring true for you.

And if you’re lucky enough to have never been without a job, take this piece as a cautionary tale. You’ll also no doubt pick up some helpful tips to get you through that tough time (if it ever happens to you – hopefully it never does!)

One Moment You’re Employed, The Next You’re Not…

In late 2017 I was retrenched from my digital copywriting job.

I’d been in the position for only 19 months, and around that time I could feel the walls closing in around me. I knew my days were numbered.

Two of my favourite co-workers were fired in the same week just months earlier. After that happened, I never felt completely secure in my job.

I felt the axe of retrenchment hanging over my head, and it made me slightly paranoid.

Which I’ll admit, isn’t the worst thing in the world. It pays to be aware that your job security is NEVER a sure thing.

I remember the afternoon I was brought upstairs, was told I was retrenched, and I handed over my laptop.

Then I walked downstairs and collected my red tupperware from the kitchen. Knowing it was the last time I’d ever set foot inside that office.

I shook my operations manager’s hand, and walked up the street and bought two lemon slices from my favourite cafe. Then I caught the train home.

It was all a bit of a shock for that first day. And later that evening I discovered that my colleagues were all in the same boat. The business was more or less closing its doors.

It was in the last week of November, so I had December ahead of me to regroup and plan my career direction heading into 2018.

To be honest, I thought I was hotshit.

I thought I was awesome, and that I’d get scooped up by some grateful digital agency in a heartbeat.

And initially, it looked like I was right!

I sent off a bunch of emails, touched base with a recruiter, and applied for a few jobs online.

This resulted in a whole slew of promising job interviews lined up in a matter of days. All with digital agencies that I’d love to have worked for. Which actually gave me a lot of opportunity to build my job interview confidence. 

Many of these businesses said they were looking to make a hiring decision in late January. This made sense, after all, most businesses don’t want to hire a new employee in December and pay them over Christmas.

Plus, something awesome happened…

I landed an interview with one of the fastest growing digital agencies in Australia. This was a business that I enamoured. I believed I was both a perfect skills and culture fit for the role, and company.

However, the position they offered me wasn’t right. It was a project management role, and I wanted to remain working as a content writer. That was the trajectory I wanted to keep my career glued to.

All of these interviews (gained with seemingly little effort), plus the job offer I turned down, all peaked my confidence. I was ready to enter 2018 and land an incredible dream job quick smart!

Unfortunately this wasn’t the case…

The Rollercoaster Ride Of Self-Doubt & Alienation

As it turned out, all of the promising results from December were a bit of a fluke.

None of those interviews with the agencies materialised into jobs in late Jan.

All of the interviews dried up. The job prospect with the recruiter faded away, and none returned in its place.

In one act of desperation, I even contacted the digital agency who’d offered me the job I turned down. I asked for it again (even though I still didn’t want it, and they could tell).

It turned out they’d already filled the position.

Another experience rubbed some salt in the wounds around this time. It came from the fact that all of the people who’d been retrenched with me from my previous job, were all now re-employed.

One got a job with a client we’d worked with in the previous job. Another took the job I’d turned down (back when they were hiring several people for that type of position).

Plus, my best friend got a job with Facebook. Which is a HUGE accomplishment for anyone in the world, let alone someone from Melbourne, Australia.

And while I was incredibly happy for my best mate, and my past colleagues, I couldn’t help but feel pretty down.

Not necessarily because of my situation, but because of the extent to which I’d deluded myself in the previous December. I thought I was hotshit, and my ego was in a prime position to be wounded.

As the days, weeks, and the months started to slip away I started to really struggle with the situation I was in.

Here’s the emotions I wrestled with on a weekly basis…

  • Feeling alienated from the workforce and my industry
  • Feeling like I was being left behind (while others all around me were moving forward)
  • Doubting my skills and professional value
  • Resenting businesses that didn’t hire me (which also made me angry)
  • Stressing out over the money that was leaking from my bank account
  • Feeling worthless and displaced

I also remember that my sleep become significantly impaired. I often had trouble getting to sleep at night, and would lie awake until late into the night.

I think that this was largely due to me trying to get my freelancing career off the ground (and failing miserably at it).

During this period my computer also died, so I had to spent $1,200 on a new one. It was worth it, but I was like, “why did this have to happen now!?”

On top of this, my exhaust pipe fell off my car. Yes, that’s right. My exhaust pipe fell off, and was scraping against the road as I was driving.

That replacement was another $600 or so dollars. Again, why did this have to happen when I was retrenched!!

So yeah, in short. It was a huge low point in my career.

Definitely not my lowest though! My lowest by far was working in that bloody warehouse back in my early twenties.

And all was not lost!

Yes, I was in a rough patch. But I still had great skills, great industry knowledge, great experience, and a TONNE of ambition.

This was what allowed me to push forward, and eventually, arrive at my next big career opportunity…

The Happy Ending & A New Dream Job

In April of 2018, four months after being retrenched, I successfully landed a new and awesome dream job.

It was as a content & social marketing specialist with a several hundred million dollar company in Melbourne.

It was HUGE step forward for me. They were paying me $13,000 more, working for a bigger company, taking on more responsibility, and learning a TONNE about how big businesses work.

It would allow me to grow my skills and expand my professional network. As well as give me significant leverage to transition into bigger and better jobs in the future.

Although in hindsight I should have taken the project management job I turned down in December…I was ecstatic to be working in a role consistent with my skills, passions, and dream career direction.

Plus, the job came with a free coffee every day! Woo!

In my first paycheck, I got more money than I currently had in my bank account.

Just to be clear, I went from about $12,000 in savings (thinking I was very secure), to about $3,000 by the time I landed my job. So in retrenchment I burned through $9,000. Not good.  

Then within two weeks of working at the company, like I said, I received my first paycheck (a lump sum in excess of $4,000).

Landing the new job was a vindication and validation of the skills and experience that I knew I had.

It also allowed me to start getting more runs on the board and progressing with my career. Additionally, it also allowed me to start pouring more time and capital into my side projects (such as YCM!)

Hard Lessons Learned That I’ll NEVER Forget

Before we get into this there’s something I need to get off my chest…

And that’s that firstly, I just want to say how fortunate I feel that I was able to go through retrenchment without…

A) a family to support

B) A mortgage

And although I did experience mild forms of mental stress…

I can DEFINITELY see how a mother/father/provider/guardian/breadwinner/spouse would experience an unbelievable weight on their shoulders…

Which could bring them to the point of a nervous breakdown.

This is real shit we’re talking about here. It’s not the stuff they teach you about in school or university. So hopefully you’ll be able to glean some wisdom from these words.

And I believe there needs to be more discussion around this topic in the career advice community. People (such as yourself) need to know that there shouldn’t be a stigma around retrenchment and periods of unemployment.

It can happen to anyone (and indeed DOES happen to many people throughout their career).

That said…

I learned a lot during this period of my career! Looking back it’s clear that there were things I did well. And on the flipside, there were things I could have done a heck of a lot better.

Let’s explore some of these…

Things I Did Well:

By far the best thing I did well was keep a good routine.

Sure, my wakeup time wasn’t at the crack of dawn. After all, retrenchment has to come with some perks, right? So on most days I slept in till about 8:30AM-9:00AM.

During the days I kept myself busy.

I treated my job hunt like a job. I set tasks and goals each day. I tracked how many businesses I contacted, and how many jobs I applied for.

I kept myself accountable in that respect.

I also bought and completed several digital marketing courses (NOT affiliated in any way) that would help me build new career skills and competencies.

However, it’s important to note that my daily routine didn’t happen by accident. One of my favourite “routine hacks” is to write down my daily plan and tasks on paper the night before.

That way when you know exactly what you need to work on when you sit down at your desk. It gives you a sense of purpose and drive. And it’s essential to have this when you’re retrenched.

Our jobs often give us a sense of meaning and purpose. We all need a reason to get up in the morning and get things done, to offer value to the world, and to grow as people.

And building this routine and set of tasks and projects is a great way to engineer that.

I also ate well, exercised, and got outside the house for walks EVERYDAY.

Luckily it was summer during the months I was retrenched, so I was able to drive down to the beach on sunny days, and walk around the local parks. Spending time outside was always something I wanted to do more of when I worked inside all day at my last job.

So taking advantage of this opportunity allowed me to gleam some positivity from my retrenchment.

But either way, it’s ESSENTIAL for you to get out of the house. Go to a cafe, or go to a library. Go for walks in your local area. It helps to clear your head and give you perspective.

When you hang around the house all day, you become very self-centered. At least that was the case with me. So it pays to get outside (of both the house, and your own head).

Things I Would Have Done Differently:

A) I Should Have Been More Prepared

By this I mean that I should’ve had more money saved in the bank to float me between jobs.

I also should have jumped ship from the company before I had no choice. The warning signs were right before my eyes, but I chose to ignore them and paid the price for my procrastination.

I guarantee that I’ll be more proactive next time.

B) I should have taken a part time job

Another friend of mine who was between jobs as well took a part time job working at a bar.

In hindsight, I DEFINITELY should have done this.

It would have gotten me out of the house and put me around other people. More importantly, it would’ve allowed me to keep my financial head above water.

The reason I never took a part time job was because I always had irons in the fire.

Every week I seemed to have an interview, or the prospect of an interview, or some freelancing work.

I tricked myself into thinking “Oh I don’t want to commit to some part time job, I’ll land my next dream job any day now.”

So my advice to you…don’t think about it. Just DO IT!

Having money coming in the door each fortnight/week/month is crucial for your peace of mind.

So take a job at a cafe, bar, restaurant, or do some labouring work. I know I will if it happens again!

My Final Thoughts On The Dark Side Of Job Hunting

Here’s the thing…

If you follow my blog, Youtube channel, emails, or if you’ve bought any of my courses – then you know I’m a practical person.

I’m incredibly geared towards strategy and optimising for fast results.

However, this post was designed more as a supportive, inspirational piece.

I think it’s wrong that successful people don’t share enough of their biggest failures and struggles, and explore those emotional lows with their followers.

Oftentimes this paints a picture of that person as being some sort of superhuman. Someone who’s immune to the perils us normal folks endure.

I don’t want you to think that about me.

I’m a regular person. We’ve probably experienced many of the same career struggles. I’ve experienced periods of feeling lost, stressed, and hopeless about my career.

I know what it feels like to doubt your skills, experience, and worth as a potential candidate.

As well as how these emotions impact not just your career, but every area of your life.

So know that when I share my successes, it’s not without my share of losses. And that when I share stories of career victory, that these are things that YOU CAN DO TO.

I’m here for you, and I know what you’re going through.

I’ve got your back.

And if you’re going through a rough patch now, and you can’t see how it’s ever going to possibly resolve itself?

Take a deep breath. Relax. Know, and I mean TRULY believe, that this moment in time is temporary.

Come back to the process. Stick with the process. And results will come in time.

Please comment below and let me know what you thought of this article.

And if you know anyone who would benefit from the content I’ve shared, then don’t hesitate to send it their way.

 

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