The perfect match
Finding that perfect job and landing that perfect relationship
Victoria Yan
Issue date: 3/15/10 Section: Opinions
Last week my room looked like the aftermath of bad natural disaster. There were countless outfits strewn all over my bed and three or four shoe boxes stacked up in a corner. Mismatched hangers loitered on my floor like confetti. My bathroom vanity was even worse. Foundation, powder and bronzer dusted my sink. There were cotton balls, q-tips and eye-lash glue all over my table.
I was running late for an important interview when it suddenly dawned on me that the last time my room looked so disheveled was right before a date that my friend had set me up with the week before.
As I put the clutch of my car into drive, I began to think about the commonalties between dating and job hunting. In essence, when you interview for a job you want to make a great first impression and you wonder if it is the ideal job for you. Is this The Job, one of commitment, long-term with great benefits, almost similar to that of a marriage? Or is this just something part-time, casual, like a fling that you might enjoy but will definitely end when it runs its course?
The state of Illinois's current unemployment rate hovers at 11.3%. That means that 1 in 11 people do not have jobs. Consequently, in the 2000 census, for those that were 15 years of age and older, the number of never married individuals rests at 28.9%. With regard to those few that marry young, the percentage is probably slightly lower. At least 25% or 1 in 4 people in Illinois have never been married.
Although I have never had a penchant for mathematics and probably could not master calculus to save my life, I do know the disheartening feeling that accompanies rejection. The above statistics are not in my favor. I have applied to over a dozen jobs and I have only been called into a couple of interviews.
Like the first date, where you are the ambassador of yourself, you laugh, smile and charm your way into establishing rapport with your interviewer. You hope you that he or she will smile as they shake your hand, impressed by your personality and quirky sentiments and will ask you to be their employee.
After my third interview, it dawned on me. If job hunting is like dating, where do you draw the line between the efforts of impressing your interviewer and letting things just naturally happen? If your potential employer (or boyfriend) is looking for specific traits, doesn't your résumé speak for itself? Do we really have to strain ourselves to obtain that perfect job or relationship? If you were their ideal candidate, you would naturally get hired.
Perhaps the lesson learned relates to the old adage of putting your eggs in many baskets. Go out there and apply for as many jobs as you can. Statistically, unless you have a criminal record, you are almost guaranteed a few interviews. Over time you will figure out how to hone your skills and ultimately, when you least expect it you will land that dream job, and perhaps that dream relationship as well.
I was running late for an important interview when it suddenly dawned on me that the last time my room looked so disheveled was right before a date that my friend had set me up with the week before.
As I put the clutch of my car into drive, I began to think about the commonalties between dating and job hunting. In essence, when you interview for a job you want to make a great first impression and you wonder if it is the ideal job for you. Is this The Job, one of commitment, long-term with great benefits, almost similar to that of a marriage? Or is this just something part-time, casual, like a fling that you might enjoy but will definitely end when it runs its course?
The state of Illinois's current unemployment rate hovers at 11.3%. That means that 1 in 11 people do not have jobs. Consequently, in the 2000 census, for those that were 15 years of age and older, the number of never married individuals rests at 28.9%. With regard to those few that marry young, the percentage is probably slightly lower. At least 25% or 1 in 4 people in Illinois have never been married.
Although I have never had a penchant for mathematics and probably could not master calculus to save my life, I do know the disheartening feeling that accompanies rejection. The above statistics are not in my favor. I have applied to over a dozen jobs and I have only been called into a couple of interviews.
Like the first date, where you are the ambassador of yourself, you laugh, smile and charm your way into establishing rapport with your interviewer. You hope you that he or she will smile as they shake your hand, impressed by your personality and quirky sentiments and will ask you to be their employee.
After my third interview, it dawned on me. If job hunting is like dating, where do you draw the line between the efforts of impressing your interviewer and letting things just naturally happen? If your potential employer (or boyfriend) is looking for specific traits, doesn't your résumé speak for itself? Do we really have to strain ourselves to obtain that perfect job or relationship? If you were their ideal candidate, you would naturally get hired.
Perhaps the lesson learned relates to the old adage of putting your eggs in many baskets. Go out there and apply for as many jobs as you can. Statistically, unless you have a criminal record, you are almost guaranteed a few interviews. Over time you will figure out how to hone your skills and ultimately, when you least expect it you will land that dream job, and perhaps that dream relationship as well.
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