My Worst Job Search Fail

Looking for a job is the absolute worst. The people giving the jobs have to do everything they can to be efficient, while the people who want the jobs (and aren't being paid to apply for them) need to do so much work to try and convince the other person that they're worth hiring. It's a huge power imbalance, but there's no other way for it to work (as far as I can tell, anyway.)

Rejection is super awful and every time I've applied for a job and not gotten an interview I felt terrible. Every time I got an interview and didn't get the job, I felt even worse. But when you find the right position, it can be really wonderful. Let's be honest about the actual situation, which is that not getting a job has no bearing on your worth as a person, and it's completely possible, likely even, that the company ended up hiring the wrong person.

But they have limited resources and had to make a call. They would've been lucky to have you!! AND SO WOULD THAT GUY AT THAT NON PROFIT WHO MADE FUN OF MY APPLICATION!

Vezitos Animation of Katherine and I

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[Wordsnwood]

Here's the problem: There is the skill of getting an interview. Then there is the skill of doing well in an interview. AND FINALLY there is the skill of actually being decent at the job. Those three things do not always intersect.

[Sillos]

You can't tease us like that Hank!
What was so bad about your cover letter?

[kayleemcelroy]

Ha, I scrolled through much of that thread without realizing Hank posted it.

[melaniedelmo]

As someone who is currently looking for a job, this video is simultaneously worrying and comforting.

[ecaterinc.]

Katherine sneakily and deliberately bruising the PEARS has to be my favorite properly petty revenge ever :D

[viktorayy]

Although that guy might have been quite harsh, I think it's cool you got an explanation for why you weren't accepted. Way better than not being called back, but still waiting for that chance that's never coming!

[Monica-mfvq]

I once applied for a place that my brother in law worked at. After a few weeks of silence from them he went and asked if I was getting the job. The hiring manager said no, because there was a typo in my resume. My brother in law had actually proofread my resume, and told him to double check it. Yeah, no typo, and I got the job.

But what if he hadn't have been there?? I really might not get a job because a manager misread something!

[Stevonicus]

You might get rejected by one hiring manager for writing your résumé in Times New Roman as they think it's passé, while another will reject you for not using it. People are capricious.

[Jacob-jcqh]

Weird how the week i move to a new state all the vids are geared towards jobs and making friends, perfect timing!😂

[mentalbarf]

I just went through a long and arduous search for my first job, and I finally got hired, thankfully. It was horrible going through the application process though; the most annoying thing is when you, a seventeen-year-old who wants a minimum wage job at a fast food joint, are told that you don't have enough experience. I can understand where the manager is coming from, but there are few things more frustrating than somebody not giving you the one thing they say you need to be hired.

[ranahijawi]

Great topic. Thank you for talking about it. I bet your cover letter was fine no matter what.👌

[wenglish]

So a story from a lecturer of mine who had to do a lot of hiring in a previous job. He would pick up half the stack of CV's and discard them saying that he didn't want unlucky people. Not sure how serious this was or if it was a joke but it does highlight how random the reasons may be

[AstraIVagabond]

Oh, my gosh... When hearing the story about the hiring manager guy who tore Hank's application to shreds in front of Hank, I was like, "Wow! That guy sounds like a jerk!"

Then, Hank reveals that that jerk was none other than _Pear Squeeze Jerk!_

That context just unearthed a whole new level of satisfaction to the story of Katherine habitually squeezing his pears!!

[MichiruEll]

I've been applying to jobs and it's so hard. As someone who has not failed a lot in life (either because I didn't aim high enough oe because studying was just easy), every rejection feels like it's a reflection on my adequacy as a human being. I feel like I'm an incompetant loser even though I just got my PhD.

[margotwiehagen]

As a smol bean on the cusp of entering the workforce this was super enlightening! Thanks Hank!

[seanfinlayson]

This should be a must watch for high school seniors and college grads.

[thayanefabiano]

I've been searching for a job for so long now that it's making me question my worth. Thank you so much for this video.

[MrGurero]

Was in a rotten mood and desperately needed this video in my notifications.

As always, and in continuation with the trend from the past few months, these four minutes (ish) really helped me. Thank you. A lot.

Best wishes,
A person who’ll be in the job market in a few years and will keep these tips in mind.

[Hazy]

Thanks Hank! I’ve been feeling so discouraged about not hearing back from job applications, but this made me feel better!

[SigmaMorrigan]

Can you maybe do another video on this topic, but from the perspective of people who are or have been actively job hunting? Like, recommendations from job hunters on how employers could humanize the process a bit, or terrible application systems that could use improvement? It feels like it's relatively common to see takes on how job hunters can improve their submissions, but not common to see pieces that give feedback to the employers on how to make the process a little less demoralizing for the people on the other end. Even the tiniest bit of empathy can make a difference. And maybe sacrificing a bit of efficiency for that empathy is the better call at the end of the day.