Yes, this is wordy. I just want to walk you thru my ordeal so you will know that you’re not alone.

I’ve been looking for a job for nearly a year in a half. The job search process became a part-time job for me. It was brutal, demoralizing and depressing on so many levels. So, I can relate to everyone who feel lost and depressed during your job hunt. The following is my journey to find my dream job. I’m in my second week, so, this is still very fresh for me. I hope that this helps someone who is going thru the dreaded job search dance. Don’t give up. Your dream job is coming.

My journey began in 2012. I was laid-off from a job that I held for nearly 11 years. It was shocking but not devastating. Luckily, I got a good severance package and was able to fall back on my freelance skills as a designer. My salary dropped considerably. But, I managed to meet my monthly responsibilities. That changed in 2015. I began looking for a new job in November well before my severance and savings ran out completely. Naively, I thought it would take a few months. Boy, was I in for a major surprise. In the beginning, I applied for every designer job I believed to be qualified for. My search was narrow and inconsistent. However, in the last few months, I applied for any job whether I was qualified for it or not. Eventually, I dumbed down my resume, removed my MBA and undergraduate degree. Hell, I couldn’t even get Walmart, Target, Lowes or other retailers to call me. I’m not knocking those companies, but, I just needed a job. So, it didn’t matter if the pay was low. For nearly a year, I did not receive any calls from recruiters. Nothing, at all. Silence! I just could not figure out what I was doing wrong. On top of that in Spring of 2016, my personal finance fell into complete disarray. I nearly lost my home, car repossessed and filed for bankruptcy. Thankfully, the bankruptcy recovered my vehicle and gave a little time to find a job. I picked up a little work-from-home job from Arise.com that brought in a couple of hundred dollars a week. It wasn’t much. But, it kept me going. Now, finding a job was even more crucial.

Like many, I started believing that I was aging out of the workforce. Which I still believe that is true, companies are looking for millennial, not experienced workers. Personal hint, when you see 3+ years of experience. They want some young who they can pay very little. A common fallacy is that “experience workers” cost too much. In my opinion, it costs just as much to train and re-train millennial who job hop because of no loyalty to companies. They come and go with the wind. I’m not hating on millennials. You just need to be aware of the reality that companies are looking for younger employees. As a result, I had to think out of the box while job hunting. I went back to square one. Reviewed my resume and skills to see what is transferrable. I rewrote my resume many times until I found the right representation of my experience and skills. In doing so, I studied “how-to” help sites which gave me greater insights on how to better prepare for job hunting. How to respond to common questions and how to become the prefect applicant. I studied job descriptions of similar jobs. I made sure to use the same keywords from the job descriptions in my resume. And, it started working. I began receiving calls from recruiters. Cleaning up my resumes and adding keywords helped moved my resume from the trash thru the initial screening. Now, that my resume was getting noticed, I needed to improve my phone interview skills. Companies are now doing phone interviews before in-person interviews. Its important to have canned responses for common questions. “Tell me about yourself,” “Why are you looking for another job?” “What is your greatest weakness?” etc. Know how to respond to the most common questions. Come up with several examples for your greatest weakness, strengths, etc. It was also important that I learned my worth in my chosen field which would come in handy during salary negotiations. Remember, you are your best personal advocate.

After, nearly a year and a half of serious job hunting, and hundreds of applications, I came across an interesting opportunity. I never really considered looking at previous employers. However, this opportunity was with a sister company of my previous employer. The opportunity sound much like my previous job. My former employer is part of group of companies under a parent company. Although, I was laid-off from the ex-employer, I left in good standing with a good record. Therefore, I took a chance an applied with the sister company. It was for a similar position in a greater capacity. The fact that I was employed with their sister company was a major plus. Consequently, past experience gave me an edge over other applicants. I was the only applicant that was sent on to meet the hiring manager and team. Of course, that’s not the reality in all cases. But, it can happen. I’m proof of that. My experience allowed me to walk in at a senior level with greater responsibilities and greater pay. I’m also able to work full-time from home. Many companies are moving into that direction. So, don’t be afraid to ask.

With all of that said, I just want you to not give up. I was in a desperate state just a weeks ago. Nearly losing everything. I had to get out of my own way and humble myself. It was imperative that I prepare myself for the new recruitment process. I opened myself up by broadening my search. I found job descriptions that I was interested in and incorporated keywords into my resume. I worked on myself while I applied for jobs. Just like my resume, there are reasons why your resume is being passed over. If you are getting noticed but not getting call backs, then is something in your interview style that need improvement. I know because that was me. Hence, prepare yourself now. Find a job/interview coach or research online like I did. So, when you do get the interview, you will stand out. Plus, don’t forget to look at old employers for new opportunities which is something I wish I considered sooner.

Here are a few of my go to sites: biginterview.com “Creating Really Good Resumes” https://biginterview.com/blog/good-resume; The Interview Guys “How to Make a Resume 101” https://theinterviewguys.com/how-to-make-a-resume-101/; Top Resume “11 Tips to Writing Perfect Resume” https://www.topresume.com/career-advice/11-tips-to-writing-perfect-resume; Susan Ireland’s Resume Site http://susanireland.com/resume/how-to-write/; Time.com “Resume Tips” http://time.com/money/4171054/resume-tips-advice/; Fast Company “How to Nail the Dreaded Phone Interview” https://www.fastcompany.com/3041995/how-to-nail-the-dreaded-phone-interview; The Muse “How to Explain the Gap in Your Resume with Ease” https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-to-explain-the-gap-in-your-resume-with-ease; The Balance “How to Explain a Gap on Your Resume” https://www.thebalance.com/how-to-explain-a-gap-on-your-resume-2063188; Monster.com “Fill In Your Resume Gaps” https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/fill-in-your-resume-gaps; Deniz Sasal “Tell Me About Yourself” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMRO2dl9z3w (His YouTube page is very helpful) Let’s Talk “How to Speak Effectively Over the Phone” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmXAqMQe0AI&t=6s; Glover Staffing Solutions “4 Phone Interview Mistakes to Avoid” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l68sX0UY8Ac; FirebrandTalent “What is your biggest weakness?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyj2PCWHPHc; Careercake “Great Questions to Ask the Interviewer” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzPPPhb5s6Y;

I found my current job on Glassdoor.com Here are other reputable sites that I used. You do not have to pay for subscriptions. Each site offered additional training and premium supplements that helped me with my job preparation. Flexjobs.com (paid monthly subscription) VirtualVocations.com (paid monthly subscription) linkedIn.com (paid monthly subscription) Arise.com (I found a PT virtual job that helped)

Good luck and stay strong!!