Yes, I'm back! A lot later than you probably expected, but better late than never. Before diving into the actual crux of this post, I did want to tell you that I haven't been sitting idle this whole time. Along with the time consuming job of job hunting, I did find time to finish off my doorbell messaging project, continue volunteering, fix up some old paintings, actually make a version of Pastel de Nata, continue work on Harneet's Christmas sweater and make homemade scented candles among other things. [gallery ids="938,939,941,943,940,944" type="rectangular"]I went back and forth on writing this post a few times. Everyone who has ever switched jobs has always told me how easy it was and how I should definitely do it. No-one has gone into the details of what it actually entails. So, this post is mostly going to contain confessions from my time job hunting and interviewing. Hope you make it to the end. Confession #1: There is so much to parse through in the job hunting world I have to admit, when I started this, I was completely lost. There are so many job hunting sites, all slightly different from each other and with no great filters for an area you may be interested in. I decided before the hunt that my top preferences would either be in Health or Education. However, I kept an open mind for other opportunities that looked interesting. I used a combination of resources to find companies I was interested in including Indeed, LinkedIn, Geekwire, Harneet 😉 and Hired. Confession #2: Being picky also means you have fewer options I was always told and still believe that finding the right fit is a 2 way street. As such, I was picky about which companies I applied to. The downside of this was that my options were limited. I turned down a number of companies that reached out and did not apply to a number of roles. I did succumb a few times when I felt low and figured I was being too selective. And ended up doing interviews which left me feeling not too great. I'm glad that some of them didn't work out so I wasn't forced to give in (Hurrah for the right rejections, even though rejection always sucks). Confession #3: It's often an emotional roller coaster And this is the biggest confession. I faced a lot of rejection along the way. More than I anticipated. Harneet warned me about this from the get go but I kept telling him how he needs to be more positive. But he was right. There is a lot of rejection and I learned to deal with it and not take it personally. Some of it was when I didn't hear back at all, some when I heard no before they even talked to me, some after the first conversation, and some after I went through the whole process (even if they claimed they loved me and the feedback was great. But...). And some, I turned down, because the role or company just did not feel right to me (short term gain, long term pain). Initially, I kept asking myself what I was doing wrong and where I needed to improve. I would also get dejected and lost a lot of self esteem. But then I learned that it's not always me and there's not always a clear why. Eventually, I learned to move on and keep trying. This was definitely a part of the process I wasn't fully prepared for. Confession #4: But, it can be comedic at times On the other hand, you learn to laugh as much as brood. Some of the feedback I would get contradicted each other within the same company so directly that I couldn't help but laugh. Other times, companies that had rejected me through their automated systems reached out to me through LinkedIn later about the same position. This was probably what kept me from getting too upset. I began to realize that the process of interviewing and candidate selection is still flawed and no-one has managed to master it yet. So, you learn to smile at the funnies life throws at you! I think my funniest story was when I reached out to a hiring manager on LinkedIn and applied for a PM position at a local company. The next morning their automated system said No to me. At the same time, the hiring manager's recruiter contacted me to have a conversation. She said she liked my profile and would share my resume with the PM team the next day and get back to me. The following week, I hear back from her with the "they decided to move forward with other candidates" statement. Exactly three weeks later, the same hiring manager pings me on Hired saying he loved my profile and would love to chat with me about the same role. I was like Sure! He asks me to speak to the same recruiter again. Never heard back! But I laughed so much at the comedic merry-go-round. I actually got turned down by the same company three times for the exact same role. Confession #5: You are never done updating your resume I updated my resume and LinkedIn a bunch of times especially initially and each update definitely helped. My last update was two and a half weeks ago. A big learning for me was that recruiters look for keywords so you need to make sure you are highlighting the right things. Confession #6: You get to learn so very much I would prepare for every conversation I had - on the company and their work - even if it was a recruiter call. In the process, I learned so much, sometimes purely out of curiosity. I studied about things I never would have paid attention to while doing a full time job, and am better for it - databases, sharding, media storage, payment platforms, etc... The best part about this is that normally I would be intimidated by some of these areas. But taking the time to actually search and learn made me feel more confident in my ability to pick up stuff and apply to roles where I may have not met the job description a 100% (By the way, even when you do meet the job description a 100%, there is no guarantee that it will work out). Confession #7: Learn to ask the right questions I learned to always be prepared with questions. This was an opportunity for me to gauge companies too. And as I spoke to multiple companies, I did learn to assess whether I would really like working at the company through the questions I asked and the responses I received. Confession #8: The break wasn't a big deal I know people are probably curious but taking the break wasn't a huge dealbreaker in the job hunt. Most recruiters and companies I spoke to were a 100% ok with it and even wanted to hear more about what I did. I think the reason people say it's easier to find a job when you have a job is because you have the job to distract you from the emotional ups and downs. I just baked instead - a lot! Confession #9: It's a lonely journey Unless someone is exactly in the same situation as you, it's hard for them to empathize with you. I'm not very good at expressing my emotions and sharing when I'm upset so it was a lonely journey for me. However, I did have the support of my family and that went a long way for me. Confession #10: It takes time and a lot of patience Yes, it takes time. Maybe less if you are less picky but it sometimes takes weeks to hear back from companies and I learned to be patient and keep moving forward. And, I wouldn't change a thing! I'm glad for the happy times and the sad, the learnings and the support. If you made it to the end of this post, I do have an update. I accepted a job offer recently and will be starting my new role soon. Looking back, I wouldn't change a thing - the rejections, the acceptances, the wait. Why? Because it got me to a company and role which I am truly excited about. I guess everything does happen for a reason! Now, I'm not sure if everything will be rosy going forward but I'm starting this new leg with a positive attitude, some anxiousness, and loads of enthusiasm. I hope my learnings help you be more prepared if you ever decide on a career change. Until next time!