Brief history about my job hunt.
The bank I worked for informed us last year that our department would be shutting down on Apr. 30. They gave us 6 months notice, which was honestly generous. But knowing you’ll eventually be without a job is still stressful.
I knew I had time, but I started applying around January anyway. Since then, I probably applied to 200 jobs. I kept telling my friends the same thing over and over:
“This job market sucks.”
My wife, family, and friends kept supporting me, saying: “It’ll happen. You’ll get a call and find a better job.”
I honestly appreciated those words more than they probably realized.
By the beginning of May, I was officially out of work. I applied for EI right away and calculated it would cover me for about 8 months. My wife told me maybe I should just take the time and use all of it.
But I told her honestly:
“It would be nice, but I’d rather work.”
Months went by with almost nothing. Rejection emails, silence, no callbacks. It messes with your confidence after a while.
But I persevered and never lost hope. I just kept applying for jobs I knew I’d be great at.
Then mid-April, I finally got contacted for a phone interview. I was honestly just happy someone finally called.
That one phone call turned into 5 interviews. The interviews were grueling. Lots of technical stuff. I was competing with another individual. I knew maybe 70% of what they required, but I studied hard for what I didn’t know.
I studied the company like it was a bible. I studied things I had no idea about, like JAMF. Before the interviews, I even asked my wife, mom, and friends to raise their arms for support lol.
Support truly means so much.
One friend even made a deal with Aries. He is now paying that price. :)
You guys know who you are. Thank you for the support.
During those interviews, I also realized it’s not just about what you know. It’s also about how you fit within the company and team. Mannerisms truly matter. Looking into a company’s core values gets you farther than you think.
Yesterday, I was happy to finally get offered a contract with a start date in June.
My moral of the story to everyone is this:
While I was out of work, I spoke to many people going through similar situations. All of them were trying their best just to get that initial interview too.
The job market really is rough right now. If you’re struggling to find work, don’t automatically think you’re failing or not good enough. But also make sure you’re putting in the effort to keep looking and applying.
Sometimes it really is just timing, persistence, and surviving long enough for the right opportunity to finally appear.
Don’t lose hope.
Speak to your family and friends about how tough it is. Having people genuinely root for you to succeed helps immensely.
Don’t let pride prevent you from asking for help.
Anyways, just my two cents based on these past few months.
Good luck everyone.
#Toronto #Jobs #Perseverance #AskForHelp