Been rejected thousands of times in job-hunting journey, I started questioning myself until...

My personality dictates that I don't compromise on important aspects of my life, such as my job, relationships, and future. Since graduating from USC in May of last year, I have been struggling with my job search. While I was still in college, I didn't have firsthand experience of how competitive and fierce the job market can be. I lived in an idealistic world, believing that as a fresh graduate with an international education background like mine, I would have numerous options to choose from. However, after countless unanswered applications, I started to panic a bit.

In the first few months since I returned to China, I was busy preparing for interviews and received several decent job offers. However, at that time, I had an inflated sense of self and declined all of them for various reasons, such as uncompetitive salary, overwhelming workload, and mismatched job tasks. As a result, I have been staying at home since rejecting those offers until now.

You may be wondering if I have ever experienced regret, and the answer is a definite yes. Fortunately, I am a resilient and adaptable person, so negative emotions don't linger for too long. I find solace in activities such as shopping, watching movies, listening to music, and motivating myself. While I don't often cry, I do recognize that shedding tears can be a healthy way to release sadness, both mentally and physically. Only a few tears escaped when I received a "Thank you" letter from my ideal companies, accompanied by a slight sigh. I want to convey to others in the same situation as me that we must endure the pressures from our peers, family, society, and ourselves throughout this never-ending journey. It's okay to experience moments of vulnerability, impulsive shopping, or occasional overindulgence. However, we must never deny ourselves or attribute failures solely to our own incompetence. Self-denial is considered unacceptable in today's job search marathon.

Apart from my perseverance, I also need to discuss how my mindset has changed during this process. As mentioned earlier, I initially had a high opinion of myself because of my dual Master Degrees, graduation from top universities, relevant internship experiences in the industry, and strong soft skills that are sought after by most media and communication companies. Unfortunately, the reality is that there is always intense competition for positions, with many highly qualified or even overqualified candidates vying for the same job. Upon realizing this harsh truth, I began to broaden my horizons beyond just big companies and started considering medium-sized corporations that may have more job openings and less competition. Additionally, in today's job market, companies prioritize experience over educational background. This means that as a newcomer, I cannot expect to immediately secure a position that fulfills all of my expectations. Instead, I must focus on learning through observation, practice, and gradually working towards my ideal job.

Doing some background research on a company, such as checking their official website, reaching out to former employees, and gathering feedback from people in the industry, is always a good idea. During this process, it is possible to come across both positive and negative comments. However, it is important not to be discouraged by negative feedback, as this was the reason I hesitated about my previous job offer.

Job hunting can be a challenging and grueling process, both mentally and physically. Whether you have experienced it before or not, I sincerely hope that whoever reads this article will always possess the ability to believe in themselves!