The saying “it’s a jungle out there” couldn’t ring truer than in the case of an Executive job search. Your vision of your “dream job” and the hard work of putting your plan into action to obtain this dream will only carry you so far. You MUST be mentally prepared for the emotional roller coaster you are about to embark on.
Here are a few key areas to prep for emotionally:
The black hole
Yep, you will inevitably, at some point along your search, find yourself in the abyss of no response to your application. Especially when the economy is feeling the crunch, there will be even more pressure on internal HR and talent acquisition teams, in addition to 3rd party headhunters, to sift and screen through what seems to be an endless stack of resumes for the very same job you are applying for. To make matters worse, organizations that use forms of artificial intelligence, or other computerized screening tools, will more than likely cause even more barriers to your application being discovered and you receiving a response. You need to stay proactive and ensure you implement timely measures of follow-up. You must be prepared to assume you will not receive response to every application you submit.
Being ghosted after an interview
The job seems to be the perfect fit for you. You thought you nailed the interview and you felt an offer would most likely come your way. Instead, you found yourself aimlessly wondering why you never heard back from the organization. There will ultimately be several situations along the way where you will be ghosted. Is it professional or “right” that this will happen? Of course not, but trust me, it will.
Being Rejected
Whether the company found a candidate that the team thought was a better fit, the role was put on hold, or they decided to promote an internal employee doesn’t matter. Just like when a man really likes a woman and thinks she could be the “one” it is a moot point if she doesn’t feel the same. Remember this analogy when the job you were so excited about doesn’t come to fruition. There will definitely be another, one that you probably don’t even know about yet, that will be an even better fit.
Mastering the emotional part of your job search is perhaps the most challenging part of your journey. However, by preparing yourself as much as possible on the front end of your search will certainly help you cope with these inevitable circumstances along the way.
