Early in the pandemic, I spent ~8 months over 100 applications, receiving countless rejections (or without any responses), and painstakingly enduring 7 last-round interviews. I finally had a few options and accepted a Product role at Coursera. The adage that a career transition is a numbers game--that part couldn’t be truer. The part that I didn’t expect was how every single moment of the process felt like an eternity.
Like many people, I set a New Year’s resolution to find a new job. And to apply the SMART framework, I specifically aimed for Product roles in Tech and confidently figured I could accomplish this goal within 6 months. After all, last time it took me less than 3 months.
And I was wrong. By the 6.5-month mark, I’d had only a handful of interviews where I made it all the way to the end (read more on An Insider’s Take On 5+ Companies’ Interview Processes). Unlike my previous experience though, the interviews I felt good about ended up being just disappointments and outright insincere responses (“thank you for your application, the team appreciated meeting you, we decided to go with another candidate …”). When pressing for more specific details or improvement recommendations, most recruiters simply disappeared from my inbox. I was sad. I felt stuck. I doubted myself. I couldn’t understand what I was doing wrong—after deploying all the tactics by the books, casting a wider net by applying on LinkedIn (I even upgraded to Premium), scheduling informal 1-on-1’s, attending webinars, following up, etc. I thought I tried everything and that my decision to exit Tech a few years ago doomed my fate in trying and failing to reenter the space.
I should have mentioned that there are several things in life that make this transition hard—going through fertility treatment being one. But that’s a topic for another time. And with all the gloom and doom, there were hope and support. I enrolled in an executive coaching program last year, and the sheer kindness everyone in the program demonstrated lifted me up when I was suffering from imposter syndrome. I also took a few trips here and there to distance myself from the whole application process. You know what people say—things usually happen when you’re least attached to them.
By the end of July, I finally got some traction. I had a few intense weeks with back-to-back interviews, each 4-5 hours. But I was slowly losing the desire to repeatedly promote myself using almost the same behavioral and situational scenarios. At the end, I was able to secure two offers from Coursera and Meta roughly around the same time to complete this journey. Though part of my lifelong quest to make an impact through technology and to advance myself, this endeavor is unlikely to be my last, and I want to share some of what I learned that might be educational or inspirational.
Go where you’re celebrated, not tolerated
I had a pretty comfortable job at Lockheed Martin for 18 months, but I always felt something was missing. At the Women in Product conference this year, Charlene Lee, one of the panelists, shared this powerful message, “go where you’re celebrated, not tolerated.” And I realized that impact, growth, and a sense of belonging had been missing from my job. We all have that instinct, whether it warms us like fire or directs us like a compass. When it’s time to move on, we know.
Redefine “failure”
I once read that setbacks are merely a milestone yet to be accomplished. It didn’t resonate with me at the time when I was being rejected or waiting to hear back. Now that I reflect on it, I wish I had challenged myself to more closely scrutinize my failure. Are rejections really failures? Are non-responses failures? No. When I think about my Amazon interviews, I am glad I poured my heart into the preparation process even though I didn’t end up getting the job. “After all, we cannot control our luck—good or bad—but we can control our effort and preparation” (James Clear, author of Atomic Habits).
Guard yourself against the “let’s just get it over with” attitude
Have you ever felt that way in your job search? I sure did, whether during the application process or even in the interviews. What I find is that intention is the hidden force of how we come across. If we have a pessimistic or deterministic mindset, our actions and communications will reflect how we feel. That is certainly not how we want to be perceived in the process. Whenever I catch myself in the auto-tuned state, I force myself to take a few days break or even go on a mini solo trip to reset and restart.
Find your support and accountability partners
A job search can be many things – it can be challenging, lonely, or frustrating. It’s anything but a zero-sum game. It might feel awkward asking for help on public forums (recommend: WIP Facebook Group), but putting myself out there opened lots of opportunities for me. I also invested in myself by joining the Product Executive Accelerator program and connected with a group of like-minded female executives. When we are on a journey with others, we feel supported, challenged, and heard. Togetherness and connectedness are the keys to a successful endeavor, for a job search is not a sprint, but a marathon, and you need running partners.
There is no right or wrong answer. You are only choosing what’s best for you at the moment
I was fortunate enough to receive two offers, but truth be told, my elation lasted about 30 seconds each. I spent so much time agonizing about negotiation, relocation, benefits, and many other job / life related details. I kept thinking there is a perfect answer or formula to solve for decision paralysis, but after speaking with coaches, mentors, friends, and my accountability partners (I even turned to Glennon Doyle’s Untamed for words of wisdom – spoil alert: NOT helpful), I realized that there is no silver bullet. We all wish we knew which startup will become the next unicorn, which stock option will get us 10x growth in the next 4 years, etc. But the truth is we can’t predict the future. The decision we make is based on our current knowledge and past experiences, and what we rely on for the future is our desire to innovate, persevere, learn, grow, and pivot. I hate when people tell me to follow my gut, but meditation helps.
I hope my learning can inspire you to reevaluate your search strategy and redefine your position in the journey. But most of all, I want to pay it forward. Share your quest, and let’s connect!