I'm good enough, I am smart enough...

Alright, so the other shoe hasn’t dropped yet, but I’m not planning on waiting around to watch it fall. Our organization has been in a precarious position for a while, with things being very touch and go, and we have all been put on notice that our jobs are in danger. Since graduation I have been looking for jobs on a low level, but the time seems right to really ramp up that search.

Which comes at a really, really bad time, as you might imagine.

With 30 million other folks looking for jobs, too, and not many places looking to hire, things are a bit competitive. At first I was all butterflies and rainbows, as in, “I’ll only apply for the jobs that I am really interested in and that will allow me to make a difference in the world.” After several weeks of searching and coming up with nothing, I changed tactics. “I’ll only apply for jobs that will allow me to make a difference in the world, and maybe I’ll learn to become interested in their organizational mission.” Sadly, nada. The next approach: “I’ll only apply to the jobs that pay money without me having to get naked.” Followed shortly by: “Well… HOW naked would I have to get?”

Sigh…

Indeed, I have been disappointed at the job search to date. Sure, I haven’t put it into fifth gear yet, but I can see how debilitating the process can be, if week after week, month after month, you put in your resume to all sorts of places and don’t hear back from anyone. The question I have been turning over again and again in my head since graduation is… what’s wrong with me? Why won’t anyone call me back? Was my cover letter riddled with typos? Did I send my resume to the wrong person? Or… do I really just suck? It is all a bit debilitating.

It’s got to be even worse for folks that don’t have the luxury of looking for a job while they are still employed somewhere. Desperation coupled with debilitation is not pretty. But. We’ll all get through this somehow. Seriously. Take a look in the mirror and repeat after me:

“I am good enough, I am smart enough and doggonit, people like me”

And then, if you still can’t find a job even after a litany of positive self-affirmations, at least it means you’ll have ample time to go to Hulu and watch a raft of SNL skits.