Never. Give. Up.

Of course there are the high achievers, the 1.0 graduates and Summa Cum Laude graduates. But for most of us this is probably not the case and for better or worse we have to do something in order to achieve our goals. Sometimes more, sometimes less. A desired job change or even entering the first job after college is not achievable without some form of effort. Fair enough, the job market today is a lot more relaxed, but it was different for me at the beginning of my career.

I was probably what you call a long-term student! During college time, however, I changed my field of studies from becoming a special needs teacher to adult education because I didn't think I would make a good teacher for children and young people. Besides, I only wanted one thing during a large part of my studies, and that was to become a rock star! Unfortunately, the world of stars and starlets is not accessible to everyone and our band broke up after a few years. So now it was "Plan B" after all, which actually became "Plan A". Finally finishing my studies was also accelerated a little by the fact that my partner and I were to become first-time parents and now I had to enter the "real" job market. It was basically time for me to grow up.

When, to everyone's relief, I finally graduated, I soon discovered that there was actually no one waiting for me out there. At least not for a qualified educationalist who saw his passion, apart from music, in the HR-sector.

A job I thought was safe fell victim to the effects of "Nine-Eleven" and a little arrogance on my part, and I soon found myself in a position I never wanted to be in: I URGENTLY(!) needed a job.

I was always of the opinion that with a good degree I would surely find something on the market that would fit, but I became disillusioned. So, I read the job postings daily and wrote one application after another. I designed flyers advertising myself and sent them on initiative to all sorts of companies in the city. I took a job that was far below my qualifications and salary expectations, but it was a living wage, and I wrote and wrote and wrote more applications. Once in a while I was invited to go to a job interview, but in the end it was only rejections I received for over two years. It was not an easy time, on all levels. And yet, at some point, after more than two years, I found my way into the much sought-after HR department. The experience from my internships and of course even having worked in this job I disliked for such a long time helped me to settle and be grateful at the same time. I made a lot of contacts, and not even two years later I was able to leave that job for a more senior position. This time, only one application was needed, and I had one advantage that other the applicants didn't have: the experience of 143 applications and 19 interviews and the knowledge that everything would work out in the end. That made me more relaxed and this mindset has supported me my whole career.

Most applicants for a new job know the feeling of being rejected or not considered, because in purely mathematical terms there is a high chance someone other than yourself gets the job. There are days, weeks and months when it seems that you can do whatever you want and still nothing works out. What do you do in these situations? How do you keep the tension high and stay motivated? Here are two tricks you can use at any time to get through such tough periods.

One is adapted from Steve Chandler, one of my favorite coaches says: "The YES lives in the land of NO, so don't be afraid of the NO".

I think this phrase is wonderful and you can apply it to different situations in a career. When I was a young graduate writing application after application, I was always happy when I had 2-3 applications delivered to potential employers. As long as they were unanswered, for me, this meant that anything could happen at any time. At any time the phone could ring and I could be invited for an interview or someone could offer me a job. That motivated me to keep going, to keep producing applications. Even going to the mailbox (yes, back then invitations for job interviews, and unfortunately many more rejections, still came by mail) was something special for me. Chandler even says that you should be happy about every "no" you are receiving because it is a sign that you are doing something. That's true. I didn't find this too easy, though, there was always a bit of hope in every application that suddenly died. Still, Chandler is right, it is a good indicator to judge how much of the right work has been done.

The second trick that helped me at the time was having a positive attitude and recognizing something good in the disappointment of getting so many rejections. Everyone probably knows the feeling of having given everything in an interview and having a great feeling, and still receiving a rejection in the mailbox a week later. It's not pretty and can be very upsetting, but what is the positive outcome from the situation? Well, let's see:

• I was one of the few who had a job interview, which means that the organization liked my application documents.

• I was able to prove myself in an interview and it was a real learning experience.

• I noticed things I did really well and which I will re-use and others I will do differently next time.

• I'm still free and who knows, maybe the next interview will be with the company of my dreams.

With this mindset, you can also go into the next job interview a little more relaxed. Instead of thinking "I absolutely have to get this job," it's more helpful to say, "I'm going in there now, I will give my best, and I'm going to learn something either way”. Having been a decision maker in many job interviews for years, I can say that it is much more fun when the interviewee is confident, curious and relaxed.

Are you facing a career change or just at the beginning of your career and need help? Please feel free to contact me!