It can be pretty demoralizing, this whole job hunt process. It's like people always say about the entertainment industry, 'you have to be willing to accept rejection...over, and over and over.' Like so many time honored adages, that's far easier said than done. I would say that I have applied to around 1,000 jobs in the 3 months or so that I've been out of work. I have had a total of 4 interviews, and none of them have resulted in full time jobs. Now, some of these interviews have resulted in part time work, some of them have led to other interviews, and none of them have been totally pointless.
I did, however, go on an interview recently that had the potential to be pointless. My old boss set me up with the wife of a friend of his who runs a film distribution company. I have been working in the film production world, so this interview wasn't exactly for my dream job. But, distribution is a big part of the film industry, and I figured it couldn't hurt to practice interviewing(and who am I kidding, I'll take far less than my dream job at this point) . I emailed this lady asking for an informational interview, and we worked out the particulars. I did some light research on her company and entered the interview feeling like I had nothing to lose. When I arrived at the office, I was ushered into a large palatial corner office with a nice view of lower Manhattan. She came into her office, looked me up and down and asked if I brought a copy of my resume. I tried to make some small talk about the weather, thanked her for taking time out of her busy schedule, at which point she felt compelled to tell me, "We don't have any openings right now, just so you know." I was a little stunned, but I pressed on. I think part of me wanted to win her over. I brought a list of questions, and the first 4 that I asked elicited only two or three word answers. Then I asked her to tell me about how she got to be where she is today. She began to open up a bit and we started to just have more of a conversation than an interview. I made a point about the changing landscape in how people are watching films/tv, and it really seemed to get through to her. She made a face that seemed to say, 'this guy might not be a moron.' She got up from the table we were sitting at, and went over to her desk. Picking up an org chart, she said, "I just remembered we are trying to fill an entry level position."
I was elated. It wasn't even like I wanted this job so badly, I just felt a sense of accomplishment for turning her around. Leaving that interview, i felt reinvigorated. It was sort of besides the point that I never heard back from her about that entry level job that I didn't want in the first place (no, I'm not bitter, you're bitter). But, I tell this story because it highlights the change in my mindset about this unemployment thing: It's a process that is going to take some time.
A good friend of mine was out of work for 6 months last year, and I remember thinking how outrageously long that seemed. 'What is wrong with him?' I used to think as I sat at my seemingly stable job. Now, I realize how difficult it is to find a job in this economy. My old boss just got a new project, but since they have been able to survive with a skeleton crew for the last few months, they see no reason to bring me back on. That seemingly pointless interview that he helped me get is now spurring me on. If you get out there, talk to anyone who will give you five minutes, and keep pushing, who knows what will happen. If you make enough good impressions, something's gotta give. I know, there's one of those adages again: much easier said than done.
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