One of the things I dreaded before completing my master’s, was diving back into the job-hunting pool, especially with the added twist of being a foreigner trying to break into a new job market. Job hunting can truly be a rollercoaster ride, where each application, interview, and that eerie silence from hiring managers takes your mind on a wave of emotions. It can feel like navigating an endless ocean with no clear direction, you just have to keep casting your net, hoping to find that one opportunity that turns into something meaningful.

I have lost track of how many times I have readjusted my resume, thinking, “This is it! There’s no way I am not getting a job with a resume like this!” The time invested in crafting a masterpiece - showcasing my skills, experiences, and even that one time I almost saved the world. Yet, I am met with a familiar silence or rejection. It feels like sending your resume into a void, hoping that somewhere, someone is reading it. The uncertainty of this process can be maddening, leaving you questioning whether your skills and years of experience are truly seen or appreciated.

If this is relatable, know that you're not alone. As someone currently navigating this path, I understand firsthand the unique challenges it presents. In this post, I will share some of the struggles I am facing, in hopes that my experiences might resonate with anyone else on a similar journey and provides some comfort and guidance.

Struggles of Job Hunting

Emotional Rollercoaster

Managing the emotional highs and lows can be one of the most significant challenges job hunting is managing. Each application submitted fills me with hope, but each rejection—or worse, no response at all—feels like a blow to my confidence. It can feel like dating, but instead of ghosting after a first date, you're ghosted by every company you've ever dreamed of working for. 

The Perfect Fit Illusion

You find a job posting that’s a dream come true. It’s like they wrote the job description with you in mind. Excitedly, you apply, thinking yet again, “This is it!” But then—crickets. Or worse, you get a polite rejection email. If I had a dollar for the number of rejections I have gotten, I wouldn’t need a job! A lot of times, I'm tempted to reply to recruiters with, “Please, just hire me. I need to eat.”  

 Networking Challenges

I’m asking again guys, if you have any tips on building connections, please share! We all can agree that one of the easiest ways to land a job or opportunities is to have the right connections and know the right people. As a person who is not a natural social butterfly, I find it hard to start up conversations with strangers and that makes networking feel anything but straightforward.

Time Management

People tend to think that with job hunting, you have all the time in the world. Oh, how blissfully wrong they are! Balancing job hunting with other responsibilities can be like trying to bake a cake while babysitting a toddler and managing a Zoom meeting—all at the same time. For someone like me who doesn’t throw out applications willy-nilly, the process demands significant time: researching companies, customizing applications, attending interviews, and following up. Juggling all these tasks can feel overwhelming and stalls the job search. Effective time management is important but challenging to master.

Financial Pressure

Can anyone point me to a scheme that provides some sort of financial support for job hunters? Why do I have to keep spending money when I don’t have enough money coming in? Is there a community where job hunters get things at discounted prices? The longer the job search, the more the financial pressure mounts, increasing the temptation of settling for positions that don't align with long-term career goals. Hang in there, do not settle for less than you deserve.

The Interview Nerves

Interviews are a critical step in the hiring process, but boy, can they be nerve-wracking! The pressure to perform well, answer questions thoughtfully, and make a dazzling first impression can feel downright overwhelming. For some of us, the anxiety is so intense that it feels like trying to stay composed while riding a rollercoaster Showcasing your true potential in a 15–30-minute call can be tough, how are you supposed to prove you’re a master chef based on just one bite of an appetizer? I want to shout, “I promise I can do the job—just give me a chance, and I’ll show you!”

 Strategies for Overcoming Job Hunting Challenges

Here are few strategies that I have researched on, and I am applying through this journey:

• ·       Emotional Resilience: Practice self-care and mindfulness techniques to maintain mental health. Surround yourself with supportive friends and family who can provide encouragement.
• ·       Application Tracking: Keep a detailed record of applications sent in an excel sheet, including dates and follow-up actions, to manage the process more effectively.
• ·       Networking Tactics: Leverage online platforms like LinkedIn, attend industry events, and participate in professional groups to expand your network.
• ·       Skill Development: Identify gaps and seek online courses, workshops, or volunteer opportunities to build necessary skills.
• ·       Time Management: Create a structured job search schedule that includes dedicated hours for various activities related to job hunting.
• ·       Financial Planning: Budget carefully and explore temporary or freelance work to ease financial pressures during the job search.

Job hunting is undoubtedly a challenging process. However, I am a firm believer that what is meant for you will not pass you by. So, friends, keep casting your nets because in due season, the right opportunity will come along and won't slip away. Remember, each "no" brings you one step closer to that perfect "yes." Keep the faith, stay persistent, and trust that your efforts will pay off.

“Waiting”— a word that can feel overwhelming and extremely frustrating. Just a few days ago, I stopped by a restaurant to grab dinner, and it felt like my order was taking forever. The food was being freshly prepared, and I was sure I’d been waiting for an eternity. But when my meal finally arrived, I checked the time and realized it had only been about 15 to 20 minutes. That’s when it hit me—life is moving exactly as it should, I just want things as soon as I desire them.

I’ll be honest waiting isn’t fun. Whether you’re in line for your morning coffee or waiting for a life-changing opportunity, it can feel like expecting rain in a drought—endless and uncertain.

Welcome to the art of living fully while you wait.

As I continue to learn about waiting, there’s a truth that stands out: life doesn’t stop because you’re waiting. So, I write this for anyone in their season of waiting, let’s make the best out of this.

1. Embrace the Art of the Pause

Accept that you’re in a season of waiting and wait. Think of it like waiting for the traffic light to turn green because then you are sure it is go-time. Don’t try to get ahead of yourself, bask in pause.

2. Show up for yourself one day at a time

You don’t need to have everything figured out all at once, so don’t try to. Take each second as it comes and show up. Don’t overthink it, don’t worry about tomorrow (I mean this literally and figuratively). Every day comes with its own gift. So, unpack what today has for you, you just might find goodies for tomorrow. There is strength in showing up for yourself one day at a time.   

3. Turn Patience into Your Superpower

We tend to think of patience as something we have to do, but what if it’s something you could master? What if it isn’t a season just to wait but to build? What if waiting is unlocking things in us we didn’t think we possessed? 

4. Deepen Your Connections

One of the most fulfilling ways to wait for anything at all is keeping yourself busy with things that take your mind off the fact that you are waiting. For me, I’m discovering that it’s deepening connections. Connections are powerful and the right ones just keep you going. Invest in the connections that bring you to your most authentic self. 

5.  Grow, Learn, Repeat

When is a better time for self-development and building capacity if not while you wait. I’m starting to see waiting as an invitation to build capacity. I’m starting to see it as an invitation to becoming all the things I so admire. I’m starting to see it as a time to be better. I’m starting to see it as a time to transition. You just might discover that what you learn during this time opens doors you never even knew existed.

6. Be Expectant

This is one thing my best friend resounds every time –“Wonu, you have to be expectant” . Life has its way of presenting you with the things you need and the things you didn’t even know you needed. I’m also realizing that to truly receive, you should expect that it’s coming. As you wait, as you build, as you grow, expect that the red light will turn green, and it will be time for you to go. Tell yourself everyday – “Something good is going to happen today”.

I don’t write this from the comfort of someone who has mastered it all, as I write this to you guys, I write this to myself as well. I can agree that waiting tends to feel like something we just endure, but what if it’s actually preparing us? Little by little, day by day, I’m beginning to see my life as an adventure—one where each obstacle isn’t a roadblock but a bump into something far greater. Sure, the road may not always be smooth, but let’s face it, the best stories never are. What’s ahead will always be better than what’s left behind.

The wait might just be telling us that what we want doesn’t fit with where we are and it’s time to move.

 

 

“Staying still” - as easy as it sounds, is one of the hardest things to do in the busyness and craziness of the world. I always preach practicing mindfulness, but I didn’t realize how hard it was for me until I decided I needed to take a break from the chaos of life and shut out the noise. I expected that a good unplugging was all I needed to quiet my mind, but I just couldn’t win. For every time I thought I had put my mind to sleep, I heard it say – “Ha! tricked ya!”

My mind was used to constant stimulation and the silence; instead of being soothing, felt like a void that my thoughts rushed to fill. Every worry, every unfinished task, and every random idea seemed to meet, creating a noise louder than the external sounds I was trying to escape. It was an overwhelming experience that left me feeling more restless than before.

Yet, in this struggle, I learnt something - staying still is a state of mind and its value sometimes lies in facing the mental chaos. It's not about achieving immediate peace but about learning to sit with the discomfort, to let the mind race, and eventually find its own rhythm. This process, though difficult, taught me resilience and patience. It made me realize that the practice of staying still is a journey, not a destination—a continuous effort to embrace stillness even in the noise.

Staying still is not about physical inactivity or laziness. It's about cultivating a state of mindfulness and presence in our lives. It's about pausing, taking a breath, and allowing ourselves to fully experience the present moment. We are all so focused on what the future holds that we forget to live in the moment, we forget that the only way we can make it to tomorrow is to get through today. Not just getting by but actually living through it.

So, while it may seem contradictory, the effort to stay still in a world that never stops moving can be incredibly rewarding. It requires persistence and a willingness to confront our inner noise, but the clarity and peace that eventually come are well worth the investment.

Through this entire process, I learned something valuable from a service I attended—a method to control my mind:

•         Catch your thoughts: Become aware of your thoughts as they arise.
•               Hold them in: Take a moment to pause and reflect on these thoughts.
•              Ask questions: Is this thought pure? Is it true? Does it reflect the truth of who I am?
•         Remember, they are just thoughts: What makes your thought  powerful is the focus you give it. It's like spotting something in a crowd; it becomes the only thing you see while everything else fades into the background.

So, my lovelies, guard your mind & heart for everything you do flows from it.