Unemployed for 1.5 years, 20 final round interviews, not 1 offer.
I unfortunately lost my last job in April of 2022. I immediately hit the ground running and that summer was interviewing every week, being told I was being “fast tracked” to the later stages of the process, and would generally be in a place where the next conversation, I assumed, would be related to an offer. Not a single time have I received an offer. The feedback I’ve received (if any) has always been the same, “we went with someone that was just slightly a better fit” or “we went with someone with slightly more experience”. And of course the generic form email.
During the holidays this past year, I moved home with my mom. I did not really have the mental capacity to continue the job search as strongly as I had in the summer. Come this past spring, I jump back into to. And again, one or two day response times to my applications, from screening call to panel interviews in as little as a week, but yet again I either never hear a thing or am rejected.
The entire summer of 2023 was this same song and dance. In the last 2 months, I’ve been in the final round for 5 positions I would have loved to have. This past week all 5 rejected me.
I have 10 years of experience in my field, a masters degree and the work I do is fairly niche (pharmaceutical policy/reimbursement). My response rate would imply it isn’t my writing, the abundance of interviews indicates I’m interviewing well, and yet I’m on the verge of total mental collapse.
I know there just must be something I am not doing in these final rounds that is just killing my chances. This post is mostly to vent, but does anyone have any advice on how to clear this hump? I’ve burned through my network, started my own side consultancy for small project work and to fill the gap in my resume, but that’s not in my wheelhouse and I’ve just finished the last of the contracts I had.
I just applied and got a gig at an Amazon warehouse. I have 200k in student loans, CC and assorted other debts. I feel like a failure and reading this sub know I’m not alone. But I honestly question how I ever was employed in the first place.
Sorry this is so long and thanks for reading.