Week Five: Supporting Peers in the Job Search Process

After taking a break last week to successfully submit my master’s dissertation and move out of my university accommodation, I am sharing a reflection I had after a much-needed dinner with a friend from my master’s program. During this dinner it was lovely to celebrate the major milestone we both achieved of completing our dissertation and our entire program, which in this new virtual learning reality meant we finished our work and had no real closure other than seeing the word ‘submitted’ on the assignment page. Congratulating one another and providing each other with some level of closure, however unofficial it was, felt much needed and energizing. As we are both looking for jobs here in England, in similar industries, we began talking about what we were looking for and what our experiences have been so far in finding those opportunities.

While our focuses are different, we do have some similarities in what positions we are applying, and I found myself immediately telling my friend about opportunities I had found and applied for which they might find interesting. The idea of competition or hiding opportunities for myself did not enter my mind. I think I surprised them I was sharing so much about positions which I had applied to as the job search is posed as such a competitive process, but I would rather support my friend and help them find the best job for them. I feel that the process itself will conclude the best applicant and whether that is myself or my friend, I would hope no one would hide such an opportunity from me. As I have been working towards finding a position for three months now, I want to help my friend find the best opportunity for them as soon as possible.

I have struggled throughout this process with feeling doubts of my own skills and ability as the multiple rejections, no responses to applications, and an overall struggle to find a position has impacted my overall mental health. You can keep reminding yourself of the circumstances and situations of why you may not be the right fit for a position, but the resilience of continuing to apply every day, multiple times a day, does start to faulter. That is why speaking with my friend also going through the process felt so energizing, and I was so quick to offer help and support because it is what I have been so desperate for myself. The simple encouragement of ‘you are incredible’ or ‘anyplace would be lucky to have you’ while they may seem like trivial statements, when you are writing cover letters and reading rejection emails all day it can feel quite isolating. These simple encouragements and reminders that you have something to offer, and someone will recognize the value you will bring to their organization is incredibly important during this process.