Job rejections, a toxic work environment and lowered self esteem

I am sorry. How frustrating. I’d want to ask them why. Of course they might not tell the truth but I’d still ask. Do you have any idea what could that be?

Yes, exactly. Things had gone swimmingly well the whole time. The owner had even said after our interview that it was "fantastic to meet you", in those words. I really thought I had the job this time.

Very frustrating! They said they decided to pursue candidates who already had Director level experience. I guess they figured I would need some direction and assistance since it would be my first time being a Director. I mean, it WAS a little bit of a reach since I was looking to get a promotion to the next level and it's true that I do not have director level experience, though I DO have two years of prior team management experience.

Who knows? Maybe they lied. Maybe it was something else that they cannot tell me that arose in the final interview.

I am also crushed that I have to continue working in a highly dysfunctional work environment. It's a mess, and I am beside myself.

It’s frustrating. But I think them hiring someone with experience is not that far fetched reason, that’s likely what happens. They also might not want to pay top dollar if they need to train and assist you. They care about their interests only. These are businesses making money. From my understanding these aren’t non profits. Could you start applying to lower level positions, not managerial positions, and then maybe grow within those companies. Are there any jobs available that are not director or manager levels? Even if you don’t want those lower level jobs, I’d try and see if I can pass that level interviews, maybe just for practice?

I am so sorry! I would believe the reason they gave - it certainly is within the realm of possibility that they opted for someone who had experience at that level. I don't think they lied.

Thanks @Molinit.

It actually was the truth.... the company owner also emailed me, saying wonderful things about me, then reiterated that they need someone with director level experience.

I cannot apply for lower level jobs since I cannot sacrifice any salary. A lower level job means a lot less salary. I need every penny I earn.

Could you look for a job that is at your level now, not above, so you keep salary at the same or similar level as now? I get that we want to make more money but if those jobs just don’t materialize one interview after another, it might cause you mental and physical health. It will be more pricey in a long run.

Especially if you have hard time staying at your current job.

I don’t feel that you can continue repeating the same cycle of interviews. It’s incredibly stressful under any circumstances. Something just has to give. Not saying give up but tweak it

Quote:

Originally Posted by Have Hope Thanks @Molinit. It actually was the truth.... the company owner also emailed me, saying wonderful things about me, then reiterated that they need someone with director level experience. I cannot apply for lower level jobs since I cannot sacrifice any salary. A lower level job means a lot less salary. I need every penny I earn.

I’m sorry! It’s really annoying why make you jump through hoops with multiple interviews? Didn’t they pay attention to your resume?

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I agree. I sometimes think they actually do not read resumes that carefully.

Having said that, particular experience is typically recommended and preferred but not required. It’s not always set in stone and they might want to consider people with no experience but with some other great credentials or ideas that might come across during the interview.

Could be that Hope interviewed really great and so did person X. But final decision was made just because X has more experience

Job search is so hard and stressful. Wish there was an easier way about it. Ugh

Thanks everyone.

Thing is, I have mainly been applying for similar level jobs, except for the last one which was a level higher.

I truly don't understand why I am making it to the final round and then am not getting hired, again and again.

My resume I've been told is amazing. My recommendations on LinkedIn are glowing.

It's gotta be my interviewing skills that are not cinching the deal in the end.

I have a meeting with a company that helps you get hired on Monday. You have to pay them a portion of your salary IF they help you get hired, for like two years. it's a hefty price, but they will coach you in your career and through your interviews. It's my last attempt. But for now, I am pausing interviews and am taking a break.

And, I'm struggling a lot in my current job. Seven out of my eight clients are very difficult, which is making my life extremely challenging and stressful there.

For one client, their website totally sucks with just FIVE measly pages of content, so naturally, they're not getting many leads for a 200K business software product. Go figure. If your website sucks, how can you expect to sell such a hefty priced piece of software? So, I did a competitor analysis and showed my client competitor websites, which are far more built out with loads of professional content that will generate leads. I told my client that this is the kind of website they need, with a ton more content. So what happens? I am now building out a wireframe of what that site architecture should look like, and I am proposing a massive content development strategy based on high volume keywords for which all their competitors rank in the search engines. I have never built a massive content strategy before, not to this extent, so it's new and very stressful because I am learning as I go along.

My point? Well, IF the client had a better website, then I could get them better results. And IF my CEO knew any better, BEFORE he took them on as a client, he should have known that their website sucked. But now the client has been considering pulling the plug on our services BECAUSE they unrealistically expected us/me to achieve far more lead volume than we have. Well, if you were aware that your site lacks content, then maybe the expectations would have been far different. I blame my CEO for over-promising and for not understanding or knowing my field very well. So, I've been placed into a very difficult position now with this client, and building out a website is not exactly within the scope of my job. ARGH!

The other clients all have one issue or another that are preventing me from being entirely successful with them. Their website has major technical issues, or they don't want to implement all of my recommendations, or their product is far too expensive to sell in a pandemic economy and market.

I have a headache each and every day as a result of all the headaches my current clients give me. It's a mountain of stress and aggravation.

And to continue getting rejection after rejection when I am DYING to leave my job? It's depressing as all hell. Last night I finally cracked, had a few drinks and had a good cry.

Still: Hang in there!

I will... thanks @Bill3! It helps... the support I am receiving here really helps.

Let me say it - 2021 seems to stink just as bad as 2020 !!! Hopefully this coming new year will be better on all fronts!

It sure has, and in several ways! And this covid thing is really wearing on me as I am sure it's wearing on everyone!!!!

Cheers to a far better 2022!!!!!

This Christmas has somehow magically renewed my hope and optimism for a better job in 2022. I feel refreshed and am feeling better. I've adopted an attitude of gratitude for all that I have in my life right now, including a job, even if I don't like my job. Last Christmas I was unemployed, I couldn't even afford any gifts for my family members and I was separated from my husband, on the brink of a divorce. Now, my husband and I are back together and we're very happy, I am employed and could afford gifts this year for my family at Christmas. So, I AM grateful.....

I also needed some much deserved time off from work. I have today off and I took next Monday off too. That's two four-day weekends in a row that I get. Even though I have a lot of work on my plate and cannot truly afford the time off, I had to take it for my own mental health. And it's helping!!!! Thank goodness.

My vacation time is over and I am having major anxiety about going back to work. We lost a big client last week on my team, and our VP was asking my team what kind of value we provide to our clients. Well, wtf? Get someone in a leadership role who can lead our team and who can explain the value to clients properly. The VP doesn't know anything about my field, nor should he pretend that he does, so he is not the one.

I have a client meeting today that I am nervous about and I am rallying team members to ask our VP to pay for a much needed software tool that we need to do our work. I am nervous about both meetings.

Ugh, welcome back from vacation. I have to remember how I felt over Christmas, which was grateful to even have a job.

((((((((Have Hope))))))))

Good luck at those meetings today!

Thank you! I got through one - phew! Now one more tomorrow.

This company that I am working with right now? I'm on their free trial, and it's far too intense of a program for me.

My inbox is so FLOODED with workshop invites that it's overwhelming. All I want to do after work is relax, not take an hour-long workshop! I don't even want to think about anything work-related after work hours... I'm too old for this level of work!

If I were 25 again, then yes, perhaps this program would suit me, but on top of that, it costs 7% of my salary when I get hired! So, if I get offered 100K salary, I have to pay this company $7,000 for getting me a job!!!!!! That's INSANE.

My career coach in the program mentioned that one week, hypothetically speaking, she may ask me to send out 20 applications. Come on..... who has time to write and craft 20 cover letters when they're working full time? Not to mention, I find maybe ONE job per week that suits me for which I want to apply. I don't just send out masses of applications.... I pick and choose and I research the company before I even think about applying.

So I have two more freebie meetings with this company before my trial ends. I am done with this. I could hire a singular career coach for a LOT less money and probably get the same quality of help with my resume, interview skills, etc.

I am not buying into this program - I found it through an ad on Facebook - no wonder and go figure.

AND.... I think I may have instigated a bit of a mutiny in my current job. I let the cat out of the bag to my entire team about how the CEO truly runs the company. I informed them of what he tells clients and how he sells our particular line of services, which is way off-based and uninformed. So therefore, new clients get the wrong idea of what our work really involves, they think that we are a lead generation company, which is how the CEO explains our line of work, and then after many months when they don't see the EXACT results and work they're expecting, they tell us that they don't see the value in our work! Well, go figure, because what we do is NOT lead generation.

So my whole team is now informed of how poorly run our company is - and they all want to approach our VP about how to improve things. I fear that I may have more so encouraged my team mates to look for other jobs. IF that happens, then I get stuck once again holding it all together for the entire department, by myself.

What have I done?!?

I guess I got really sick and tired of holding all this info inside and to myself - so I let them in on what's truly happening within the company and on how the CEO truly runs things.

My team is not happy with what they've learned. I am so bad. I couldn't help myself though. It all just spilled out.

So, I mouthed off to an internal recruiter of a company who wanted to interview me for a Director role. She told me after our 1st meeting that they wanted to see an example of my work, plus complete a 12 question essay questionnaire, plus give a presentation to my peers, so I finally lost it and had had enough. I told her that my results in my resume should speak for themselves, and same with the recommendations on my LinkedIn profile, .and that I shouldn't have to jump through so many hoops just to get hired. I told her it's insulting at this level in my career. I couldn't help myself! I was beside myself after learning of their process and exasperated. So I think I unloaded ALL of my frustration on this poor girl, but still, it was ridiculous what they were requiring me to do, and I wasn't having it. I told her thanks, but no thanks.

But now, once again, I have no job leads and it's back to square one.

It’s annoying. Having said that, I am afraid it’s somewhat typical

In my experience that’s a pretty typical expectation of a presentation in front of peers, samples of work and some type of questionnaire (often times more than one, additional is a psychological type of questionnaire in addition to professional one). I think often times what’s in resume or LinkedIn just isn’t enough.

I’ve been on interview teams where people lied or exaggerated on their resumes and things didn’t match or they were unable to present anything despite things they wrote. Not saying it’s the case with you but they don’t know you.

Also more money gets paid and higher the position more additional stuff they will require. I’d say for a director role these things seem to be a rather typical expectation. They’d not want to bother just going by what’s in the resume. If they have 5 people with similar resumes, they’d like to see more stuff to even get bothered

My perspective is: WHY do all that work only to get rejected in the end? It goes both ways. I’m protesting.