Last week, I had an interview with a company where the interviewer told me to expect one level, when I got into the interview with the hiring manager, I was pitching myself for that level only to find out the role was a level BELOW what I had been sold. This has happened a lot in the last two years.

The conversation with the hiring manager was great. They took extra time with me, which typically indicates success. But my last question was about next steps, to which I was told the recruiter would get back to me. 90% of the time, that means, I liked chatting but you aren’t a fit for this role.

It has been nearly a week and I haven’t heard back, so I didn’t get to the next round. (Well, maybe I have a 0.25% chance of making it to the next round.) This means, I have spent the last week feeling that bang of sadness that the hope which came from the pending interview was crushed by silence. It was compounded by getting at least 4 automatic rejections and at least 1 rejection that I am sure they looked at my application but then rejected me.

TL;DR - I let myself morn. Had some drinks with friends. And I gave myself a little break from the job search for a few days. Then, I worked on my LinkedIn profile and I submitted some cold applications, despite my knowledge that most go nowhere. And, I put together a plan to prepare for interviews in case things get better in the coming months.

None of this is easy. I know some coaches who recommend not applying because of what it does to your psyche. But I know myself, I do better if I keep moving. Kind of like climbing a mountain, some people rush up, I am slow and steady with small breaks but keep moving.

The Complete Series