Losing Steam

I didn't think I would arrive at this point so soon, but WOW- rejection can certainly catch up with you quickly! I consider myself a fairly goal-oriented person. In my mind, few things are left to chance. This is especially true when it comes to one's personal success. I have very few regrets professionally and I think this is because I am well thought out and weight my decisions very carefully (I am a researcher, after all). I think this is why this job hunt has been particularly difficult for me. Despite doing "my best" and following a well laid out plan, I am met with a whole lot of nothing.
When I first met unemployment, I looked it in the eye, ready to fight to the death. Bad economy? Ha! I laugh in the face of 11% unemployment! 1 year at my previous employer? Who cares? It is my previous experience and transferable skills that will win everyone over! I suppose ignorance really is bliss.
I try not to think too hard about my competition. Since I was a child, fearing what the other girl had on me was my usual downfall. I have since been able to graduate from a prestigious school and ascertain management-level jobs not thinking too much about who I was up against. I think this tactic might have worked against me this time around. Understanding the statistics of my job search is crucial to my success. It has also been incredibly sobering.
Enter my pity party.

For each position that I am 105% qualified for, there are probably 50 solid candidates who equally qualified if not more so. This req. might have already gone through the "friends and family" round, too (e.g.-someone in the company knows someone who is a good fit and will, most likely, get the job) which means that there is no REAL chance for any applicant. In addition, recruiters have no room to be creative. They have deliver an exact match for their client. What this means is don't bother applying to a position that a recruiter posts unless you have been doing that same exact job for the past 5 years. Oh, it also helps if you have done this job at a competitor.
Faced with these facts, I did due diligence to my job search. I followed (and continue to follow) the most common tips and advice like: networking, keeping your online presence strong and following up with folks. I put all of these things into practice and yet, here I am. Jobless still. One could say that I've had 3 interviews, which is pretty good. But as my husband would say, "Interviews don't pay the bills." Here is my consensus about all of this job hunting advice:
The economy sucks.
Kind of like the title of this blog. Guess what? I have a solid network of very influential people at large companies...who are hiring. These people care a lot about me and my future (some are related to me). This hasn't resulted in a single interview. And it's not their fault. It could be that the position is too senior- there is nothing that can be done about that. It could be that the req. is another department where they don't know anybody. Here in the Silicon Valley, companies are huge and knowing one person in department X doesn't mean a damn thing if you want a job in department Y. So the whole network, network, network thing has resulted in nothing more than me feeling like a pest. Online presence? I'm pretty much writing this blog for myself because it doesn't seem to be attracting many readers...purposely. I update my LinkedIn profile often and am active in my groups but again, it hasn't resulted in much. Oh, and following up? I've sent so many emails to so many hiring managers and recruiters about open positions, my head might soon explode. What's worse is I haven't received a single email back. Not one. For the average person, this can become very discouraging very quickly.
But I don't want to wallow in self-pity. I'm not the type to do that. Today I heard that most economists are in agreement that 3rd quarter employment numbers should look promising. That's a glimmer of hope. I have noticed that there are more open positions each day than there was the day previously. Again-a possible flicker of light at the end of the tunnel. I will continue to keep data of my job hunt to see what is working best for me. I will continue to enjoy spending time with my friends during this unemployment period because, once I find work, it will be a while before I have that kind of free time. More importantly, I will be realistic and understand that competition is fierce, there is no doubt about it. I will try not to lose focus. Most importantly, I will understand that not everything goes according to plan.