The reason why job-hunting websites are almost useless

Monster, Indeed, Craigslist or Zip Recruiter are great tools for anyone who seeks employment, yet they are not the Holy Grail of all jobs. Getting out of the house is.

 

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Even though playing chatty Katy and having a good laugh with total strangers seems counterintuitive when you are jobless, human resources specialists admit that the hiring process usually takes place anywherebut in their office. 

  

Networking is the only hiring strategy that will never go old, no matter how many SEO techniques of scanning a resume will appear in the next decade.

But if you are like me and feel comfortable having just a handful of really good friends, all this may feel a little forced. Even so, networking doesn’t mean being a hypocrite. It means seizing opportunities to say: “Hey, if you happen to know someone who knows someone who is hiring, please let me know!”. Volunteering is a great way to do this, while staying true to yourself, especially if you're poor.

I tried it myself this past Sunday, when I went and help my church organize a picnic in a preserved Chicago forest. I sold donuts, baked beans, polenta, sausages and cabbage salad, and in the process I also got to spread the word about my job situation.

Did someone offer me a job right then and there? Heck, no! In fact, this morning I had an interview for a receptionist position that I applied through one of those job searching websites. But it was a first step towards building a solid network. 

At least a hundred people memorized my face and place it in one of their brain’s compartment, with a label that says “looking for work”. Eventually, one day out of the blue someone just might recommend me for a great position.

Going through unemployment with a joyful heart

It’s easy to become bitter when you are jobless. Almost too easy. So I decided to turn my situation around and value this chapter of my life, just like a soldier would cherish his physical scars. He was there, he fought, he survived. What’s to be ashamed of?  

The same goes for me. I chose to move in the U.S. anticipating the feelings that will follow: anxiety from not finding fast enough a job, fear of getting broke, envy over other people’s car and vacations, worthless from not being a published journalist anymore and so on. 

My internal battles will forever mark me and I have no intention to stop this. 

This sadomasochistic tendency goes back a long way to my childhood, when I used to push my palms against mom’s cactus spines. Just to see how much pain I can take. As an adult, the trials I set up for myself got psychological.

But it wasn’t I until moved to the other side of the planet, that I really became an adult. My soon be 25 years feel heavier, but in a good way, as if someone placed a big pile of encyclopedias in my arms.

Except I don’t particularly love this kind of lecture. It’s plain hard. My brain craves easy reading novels, the type that you skim through while sunbathing on the beach. Yes, I wear glasses, but I’m not a nerd or a genius for that matter. 

My strategy? Just like I became addicted to healthy foods by eating more of them, I will go after hardship and hope for the best.

Moving to America feels like playing video games

Had I knew what I’m signing up for coming to U.S, I would thought twice before spending over a year to raise 10.000 dollars, what then seemed like a fortune.

From day one, Chicago left me mesmerized not only at its architecture, but also at the plethora of natural greenness. People too are nicer and tolerant than in Romania, my home country.

What really blew me away was the emotional earthquake I felt once my mind has finally caught up with reality.

My bellowed position as a journalist for the biggest Romanian newspaper? Gone. My little routine of going to the gym three days a week with a cheerful group of familiar faces? Gone. My annoying neighbor who used to vent on about her day without once asking my opinion, but compensate by baking some delicious donuts? Gone.

Everything is different here, from healthcare and banking to driving, shopping and even walking, which sometimes leaves me questioning our ability to adapt.

That’s probably why babies lack self-awareness. They wouldn’t probably bear to realize they don’t have a clue about how things work, while their parents seem like NBA players at this game called life.

Speaking of witch, my husband came up with the perfect definition for our first five weeks here. “It’s like we are trapped in a video game. There are deadly obstacles to overcome and we’re running out of munition”. Read this article for some uncommon side-effects of moving to another country.

Actually, I’m getting used to being way out of my comfort zone. 

First, my glasses needed to changed or else they wouldn’t let me take the written driver's license exam. Then I slammed a car door over my right thumb. The bleeding went on for days and my fingernail turned from purple to blue and red. Let not forget about losing my job as a dental receptionist before even starting it or the minor traffic accident my husband was involved.

When put into perspective, all of this means nothing. Because growth is supposed to be painful and scary in order to remain burned into our spirits. If you can stand it, of course.