20 Comments

Job hunting is the most challenging thing one can do, and the rejections puts oneself in so much self doubt. The self esteem is so low, that it gets hard to find your strengths, or sell yourself at any point. In my experience, I couldn’t get myself to think about my strengthens or reach out to people because I thought I am not worth anything due to the constant rejections or lack of interview calls. Your piece is a great reminder as to how not to get bogged down by the stress and crumble under the pressure and overwhelm. I really like the idea of having a schedule and treating it practically, in that way you can do something practical about the situation.

Thanks for sharing this piece, it’s a good reminder of how others have dealt with the situation . It’s not easy to share something so personal.

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Thanks Nida! You're watching me go through it again so keep me in check please :)!

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What a great helpful list of tips! This is really well thought out. And I love your graphics!!!

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Thanks Serena!

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Thank you for this insightful breakdown of the journey. I was left with the reminder that looking for a job is a full-time job in of itself. And thus, it can be exhilarating some days and exhausting on others. Wishing you so much good smooth energy with this "job"!

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Thank you for sharing the ups and downs of your job hunt. I admire your determination to develop a healthy routine to help you get through the challenging times to land back on your feet. Thinking back to the last time I was laid off I didn’t manage my time or prioritize my mental health and paid dearly. Your recommendations are great and I’m saving this post because these days no job is safe.!

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Thanks Rizwan. Yeah...full disclosure...it's not easy to be so disciplined and I often fall short but I aim to follow the routine I've shared. It mostly works. I have to keep reminding myself that my mental health comes first and...as you pointed out as well, that should be the priority.

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This is practical advice Nausherwan, I will revisit it when I am on the job market. Great work.

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Thanks man :).

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I was also laid off in 2021 and I felt the same way. I got overwhelmed and in my particularly case, I had a burnout in 2019 that I had never addressed properly. It became hard times. In the mid time I was able to find a job, not my dream job. The dream job I am still struggling to find. However, it has given me time to start a profound personal growth journey. A path to authenticity that has been both daunting and liberating, revealing strengths I never knew I had. I'm looking forward to delve deeper into this narrative and share the nuances of my experience in my upcoming newsletter. It's so important what you just shared 🙏 we are all humans with feelings, emotions and we there are moments that we just can't control. We have to start embracing that and not be afraid.

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Indeed Sofia. Thank you!. We all talk a lot about the practical side of finding work i.e. cleaning CVs up, interviews, etc but it takes a mental toll and that is something we should not forget. I guess we just need to keep on talking about it and to at least try to be empathetic to others. Looking forward to following your journey as well Sofia :).

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What is so great about this Naush is content's order - the way you've organized the content making it easily helpful and less confusing.

Regardless of how things are one has to take of themselves, have a plan that they can stick to (though it may change based on the market's trends), and yes control the mind to avoid unrealistic expectations.

Really helpful :)

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Thanks Lukas :)!

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Naushi, i am tempted to slide in another comment after going through No.5

If i can sum up my experience in the west i.e. pardes. It would be survival of the strongest. You need that emotional, spiritual and physical strength to reach that level of success. You have shared some very interesting strategies indeed.

I recently Met our beloved economics teacher. About 5 months ago, You were missed in that meeting. It was at his house. Its time we catch up with him on zoom and discuss your great literature on this blog.

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Thanks a lot yaar! Your comments and feedback, on this piece and the previous one, means a lot.

Sure. Let's catch up. Let me know whenever you'd like to set a time and I'll be happy have a zoom meeting. Great idea!

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I'm about to start job hunting soon so this is a very timely piece! Bookmarking to reread for future reference.

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Thank you Chris! Feel free to share your experience with me when you get there and let's continue the discussion here or on DMs.

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Will do!

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Never easy to go through this “job hunt” phase, I have seen friends go through it and have experienced it through them. You certainly get lost, doubt yourself, start questioning yourself. Your personal reflections and lessons from the journey is definitely something to take inspiration from. I really like the idea of keeping the schedule , finding routines and sticking through with it. Also use the time to find new skills and learning something new. (Have a work and out of work routine intact) Another thing important in this journey is that you’re not alone and have a support system around you to walk through with you. Little steps along the way take you so far and little words of encouragement and motivation is what you need to take those steps forward. Give yourself a pat on the back for you’re so worth it!

As I said earlier, it takes a lot of effort and courage to put your voice out there and I am so glad you’re doing it, as it is such a great learning and inspiration for others.

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Thank you so much Anzee! Your comments mean a lot. Yes...having a support system is very important. In fact, that might be the most important part of this piece.

Trying my best to vent out pent up emotions in a healthy way :).

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