Another day - Job searching
Feelings while juggling the PhD, part-time work, job searching etcetera etcetera
It’s another morning.
The sun, eats the darkness of the room, tip toeing until it finally reaches the bed and settles. Bright. Relentless.
With the morning, comes thoughts, the ones that settle in after prayers. Wondering “What’s next?” “How do I use my time today?”
But unlike the two years prior to this moment, there is a certain sense of direction knowing one goal has more shape than it ever has before “finish the thesis”
It feels great to have more direction, exhilarating even, but, nothing else stops. Nothing stops moving. Not enough to fully grasp and hold onto this sentiment. The world keeps swirling, demanding.
One demand, as clear as morning sun through polished crystal, “Find a post-PhD job”
So amongst sifting through papers (figuratively or otherwise) to write those chapters -that sometimes seem half formed, sometimes feel Nobel worthy - there is sifting through job posts.
“Do I fit here?’’ ‘‘Do I fit there?’’
‘‘Should I apply here?’’ ‘‘Should I appear there?’’
Questions, rushing in torrents simultaneously as I wonder “should this go into the methodology chapter?” Or “would this make sense in the introduction?”
The realities of job hunting seem bleak for everyone, across industries, across countries.
And the most stark reality?
Time is finite.
Energy is finite.
The amount you have to give to any one cause relies on careful planning but realistically what you are able to give and let go. What you can bear to let fall, to let dent and sometimes to let shatter?
But the time crunch is ever present. Finding a job (a good job) in time for finishing your PhD. This seems to be the somewhat universal (I resist the urge to generalise) of doctoral students.
While this is usually a space to provide tips and offer helpful solutions for PhD problems. I am afraid this is one that is both extremely subjective (in certain respects perhaps not so in others) and difficult to contextualise.
Your social media is likely already overflowing with tips on how to “get the job” “succeed at interview” “don’t do this if you receive a rejection email, do this instead” “5 things recruiters look for” etc. etc.
But I am not here to do the same, firstly because I don’t have the answer(s) myself and the job market and those who make the decisions are likewise humans with fluctuating emotions, bias, wants, etc. etc.
Is getting a job hinged on preparation, luck or a bit of both? is it hinged on whether the recruiter forgot their lunch that day and somehow your application is the first thing they read at 12:05pm? Too many variable that we cannot account for. Nor should we try to.
The variables that are in within our control, no matter how small they may be, are the ones worth putting the fight into. The energy. The spirit. Even when it seems to be waning.
I haven’t found the answer(s), but know that whatever stage you’re in during the job search/application journey, I offer solidarity.
I hope that while you search (while we search) you still find ways to keep joy, even when things seem particularly bleak
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If there’s anything else you’d like to see me talk about in future posts, leave a comment below. See you in the next one friends.