How the tables have turned.

As most of you know (all two of you), I was recently promoted at work. One of my new duties is to hire and train a new customer service representative. As I've been going through this process, I can't help and be reminded of my own job search. It wasn't too long ago that I was sending out resumes and desperately writing cover letter after cover letter. I remember applying to a slew of jobs and never hearing back from a single one. It got to the point where I celebrated automatic rejection notices because it was better to be rebuffed than ignored. And now, my inbox is the one that's flooded with emails from hundreds of hopeful applicants. For ONE job opening. There is literally no way that I can reply to each and every inquiry and that makes me feel terrible because I've been there. I now see that it's nothing personal and that luck plays a big role in getting a response.

At the same time, being on the other side is very infuriating. I now see what kind of competition I was up against and let me tell you, it's not pretty. The general public cannot write a real cover letter much less format their resumes properly. It's kind of embarrassing that I never got a job considering the competition. It really drives home the point that it's not what you know, but who you know.

So for anyone searching for a job, keep your head up and start talking to people. Find a way to bring up your job search in every conversation you have. I know it sounds kind of desperate, but it will pay off. Keep sending out those resumes and someone will bite sooner or later.