It goes without saying right? I've gone through a hell of a pandemic to only find myself at a position in life where direct referrals to jobs have been dead ends.
I've had about eight different recruiters ask me to submit my profile to employers and I've been rejected for interviews by everyone. I've had an interview about 6 months ago with an art director who actually said, “I'm very talented”. Then they had a change of heart and rejected me because I didn't have the right kind of experience they were looking for.
I used to feel really sad about it but I'm feeling so ambivalent about employers' increased pickiness during the recruiting process. I have about 7 years of industry experience as a designer / art director. I have been quietly mentoring students in my spare time and have helped a few of them get jobs.
I am not really sure how long I can wait for a job I am fully qualified to do. So far the feedback I am getting from my rejections doesn't tell me anything I need to know.
I'm just told someone else was more of a fit than I was. That tells me that there were others out there with slightly different experiences than me that were perceived as more fitting. I'm given this answer even when applying to jobs I am overqualified to do.
Before the pandemic, I'd never had to search long or wait so long for recruiters to get back to me with work to do. Despite there being job postings all over the place, I'm still not getting a job. What other viable options are there for people who seem to fit the criteria but do not fit it enough to be employed? Don't tell me to work at Costco! I've tried and they rejected me too.