Snowflakes and job-hoppers
The Millennial way to workplace happiness
How many applications did you complete before landing your perfect job? How many interviews did you get and how did they convert to employment offers? But most importantly, was it — is it — the perfect job? Can a job be perfect?
The perfect job — I scoff as the thought circles in my mind. Our parents did a number on us, didn’t they? We grew up to believe it! And now the joke’s on us. It didn’t take too long to subscribe to James Baldwin’s notion:
“I have no dream job, I do not dream of labour”
Hence, the creative economy and a variety of gigs. Anyone could do anything. You have the freedom to mould yourself into the person you aspire to be. At least, in theory (looking at those overdue bills).
I salute financial freedom and those lucky bastards with a solid pedigree — you won the lottery already, go work on those dreams. Mere mortals will still scramble to reach the stars, but we will first make sure the tummy is stuffed and there’s a roof over our heads.
Seeking “perfect” — settling for “immediate start”
Years ago, straight out of the university, I had great aspirations. Envisioned myself being employed at a successful company, ticking off personal and professional development boxes, and climbing that corporate ladder to financial freedom and…hopefully, creativity.
I wasn’t first in my class, but I did fairly well (considering I juggled a full-time university degree with full-time work!..) and graduated with honours. Brimming with confidence (after all, I already had crucial work experience, relevant to my field!) and proudly clenching my shiny degree, I dived into the vast pool of opportunities. Or job applications, if you may…
Scrolling different websites — Reed, Indeed, the Gov. page and many more, I carefully selected the positions reflecting my qualifications, interests and professional values.
Have to admit, expected this would be a straightforward process, but many of the applications had to be completed individually (the promotion of “click to apply” is such a scam!). You click on the ad, thoroughly read through the specs, check qualifications… And if you like what you see (or assume — they would like you too!..), the mouse hovers onto the “Apply” button. An Odyssey starts and you go through endless forms and pages (because the whole idea of “Apply your CV to fill-in” is a massive lie and in most cases the data gets distorted and you have to re-do it anyway).
Deep breath, an endless sigh — you can do it!.. Finally, after an hour and a half, a proud grin finds itself on your face. Yes, you did something great, this is a productive day — you’ve successfully applied for one of those incredible jobs. Keep it going, maybe we can do a couple more today!..
You might know the feeling — you’ve possibly been there. If the answer is “Yes”, I hope your experience was different, but yours truly lived in London. And the naive little girl, straight out of university had that notion: I’m a qualified professional eager to work. I’ve got a few years of customer service and admin experience — super applicable and enriched with transferrable skills — I’m going to get a job in no time!
News flash: I didn’t.
It took a while to realise: the majority of good jobs were oversaturated with eager applicants — most had a similar degree and a year or two of relevant work experience after graduating. Ouch.
No biggie, — I thought to myself. I can tone down, apply for smaller companies, entry-jobs, it’s fine! I was sure: eventually, there will be a great job for me. And it will pay accordingly, too!
Reality check: sure, there are great jobs out there, but great is a colourful word. What’s great for you might not seem all that great for me. And quite frankly, any entry-level job with the cost of living in London is not going to sound great financially (I can laugh about it now).
The job-seekers journey
It’s fascinating how quickly we learn and adapt. The Odyssey of job-hunting goes like this:
- Super eager to become a full-fledged member of society, you craft the best of the CVs, whip up a couple of strong letters and sign up for Reed, Indeed, Monster or whatever your job-seeking addictive platform. may be.
- Create your profile, do the work, make sure to update that LinkedIn… and dive in!
- You seek jobs relevant to your university degree, any work experience or the internship you possibly had last summer. Carefully reading each ad is a must — we want to make sure the job is interesting, the company has a great work culture and is aligned with our values and beliefs. Check the qualifications required.. and yes, click on the “Apply” button.
- Scrutinise every word and pour your best into that application. Make sure no typos… Double-check if the motivation letter is relevant to the job… Could be better? Yeah, we better write a new one. “Scribble” “scribble” — that should do the trick!.. All set — ready to roll!..
- We repeat the process throughout the day. Considering the types of jobs we’re hunting and how the application process is designed, we might apply for three or more. But hey, these are amazing opportunities and we’re a great fit for the job — it’s a day well used!..
- Repeat for a week. Possibly two.
Now, I don’t know how you guys seaerch for jobs, but I normally save the job ad into a Word document and pop everything into folders. I also take notes to keep track of the jobs applied:
- job title
- company
- salary (if specified)
- when does the ad close
I know it’s a time commitment and some may find it bothersome, but it helps me track the application process, I don’t struggle if I get an interview as I am able to fish out the job specs easily. At the same time, it’s a great metric to track if I change my CV or roll out a new cover letter — I can tell if it’s working or not!
So, the slap on the face I got was that no one called. I was applying for a month, then second — crickets. I asked friends (in a similar field) to review my CV and letter — the feedback was good. I also checked these with a recruitment company and made some adjustments to better fit the screening software companies used (who knew SEO and keywords are important?..). Went back to apply — again, nothing.
Then I started thinking — really thinking. London has around 9–10 million people, which means millions of people who are of the working age category. Sure, different professions and stages of career, but that’s still a bamboozling number.
I looked up the stats and the census told me that 52% of Londoners have a university degree. Shit, — I thought. This is way worse than I imagined.
My fears proved right when a friend who worked in the finance industry told me they usually have around 400–500 applicants per job. Some jobs may hit over 700 applications.
Holy cow.
That’s how you turn off your Millennial brain. Everything your parents taught you and all the things you believe about work — straight to the bin. Now. Even better, if you started yesterday.
Change in paradigm, change of plans
- Utilise whatever CV, letters and platforms you have. Filter like crazy and start applying.
- Reading job descriptions is a waste of time. See a job title that you like? Check out what qualifications they require, if that’s a “yes”, scan the competencies and job responsibilities (but not too much!) and apply.
- Repeat. Vigorously. After all, now we know: getting a job is a job in itself.
- Don’t linger on the jobs you like. Apply, take notes and track your applications, but don’t linger too much. Move on, apply for more, apply on other sites, and even reach out to recruiting agencies if you think that suits your profile.
- Don’t expect anyone to call — that’s flat self-centred. You are now one of those 500 applications, imagine yourself at the bottom of that pile. How realistic is it to expect even a rejection? Yeah, that’s the right mindset. Keep on going.
- An interview comes through? Or an assessment for a certain skill is required? That’s great, but don’t hope too much: you are now one of fifty or a hundred. The odds are better, but still quite slim. There are people who come to London for a year or two, hoping to leave for their home countries and boast of incredible work experience in Canary Wharf. Those people are not like you, they are happy to accept any salary and any conditions because they’re not trying to make a life here. So, do your best, but be realistic.
- Two or three weeks after an interview — no one calls. But they might call four months later (happened several times!) and that’s just a standard in one of the biggest cities in the world. Get over it, be real, move on.
After this Odyssey is finished and we finally land that job, it’s far from the perfect job. Or a dream one. It’s not even a great job. But it pays the bills (hopefully!).
It might be two hours and three tube line changes away, but it’s a job. It’s the job — one you’ve finally got and are meaning to keep. Because now you know, how long it takes to find it.
Not sure if you’re fully qualified for it? Your boss is asking for more than you could deliver? Well, we all knew it was a stretch. After all, you applied for something you didn’t even read properly. But after several hundred applications, isn’t it self-explanatory?
You would expect the company to have enough common sense to scan their candidates properly and hire someone adequate for the role. You will learn, you will do your best to learn, but it’s their problem now. You’ve got that paycheck.
We’re not snowflakes, we just want to be happy
Every Millennial I know changes a job once every two to three years. My dad worked for a company for twenty, then ten… Mum had the same employer ever since I could remember. Sure, the economy changed and things happened, but overall — job-hopping wasn’t a thing. No wonder, all of the older members of my family would always say: “You need to stay in this job, or at least — in the industry. You need to deepen your knowledge and experience.”
Sure, I agree. Jack of all trades is usually a master of none. But some companies pay peanuts, some have sick corporate cultures (flashback of a boss who would force female employees into high heels and flashy makeup — because that would leave a better impression on the clients) and others might not allow you to grow.
Two or three years is enough to soak in whatever knowledge and skills the company has to offer and explore growth opportunities. If these are on the table — yay, that’s the way to go! But oftentimes — it’s not an option. So, you either suck it up and get stuck in that boring job with no career growth or financial rewards… or take a leap of faith.
In London, around 30% of employees are constantly job shopping. For one, people want to make sure they are paid adequately and in accordance to the industry standard. But it’s also to make sure no good job opportunity is missed. And you know what? I used to blame them. But now I’m very much the same.
What is my dream job? Heck, I sure as hell don’t dream of labour. I wish my creative ventures could put bread on the table, but that’s somewhere far on the horizon. I chose labour that would contribute to my personal and professional growth, but I’m now realistic: the perfect job doesn’t exist. Because if one day we’re finally paid for something that makes us happy — that’s not a job, that’s a blessing.
There can’t be anything happier than fulfilling your potential and getting paid for it. That’s a dream, not a job. But some lucky bastards get to live the dream. Who knows, maybe you and I will one day too?..
My scribbles dive into a variety of topics. Yet whether I scribble fantasy or horror, highly opinionated or research-driven pieces, I hope it leaves you with something to ponder: makes you feel better (or worse?..), strikes an inner monologue (hopefully, voiced out in the comments!) or simply gives you something to chew on, inspiring to keep the creative ball rolling.
Thank you for reading!
