Reality Bites

As of writing, I already had held two jobs here in Davao City in a span of less than two months. You must be wondering why I haven’t stayed with these jobs. Perhaps I’m a lousy employee, I thought. You may think that I’m too picky. Well, sort of. But no, I think I’m a competent worker. The salaries were actually fine for a first job, but nevertheless still well below my expectations.

Even though I graduated from possibly the best school in Mindanao, still it is not a guarantee that I will get the job that I always desire. There so many fresh graduates out there who are still seeking for jobs. And yes, I have also some batch mates who haven’t found a job yet. Some have even graduated with honors yet still don’t have a job. Ironic isn’t it? They graduated from a prestigious school, only to find out that they still don’t have a job a few months after. They fill out application forms, line up in jobs fair for hours, just to try their luck in any job that fits their qualifications. Yes, I have been through this type of situation too.

In contrast, around a year ago, I was pretty confident that I’m going to get hired on whatever job that the moment the HR person gets to read my resume, she would just simply ask me when do I start working for them. Yes, I know that sounds pretty arrogant. But this may be due to the fact that I’ve got so much confidence with my educational background.

But that type of mindset took a toll on me. It took quite a while before I finally got my first job. Before that, I applied for a certain job about two months prior to my first job. My interview for that job went very well that I thought I was going to get it immediately. I went on to two more interviews for that job. Now I am down for my last, final interview. The HR person promised that they will call me to schedule that final interview. I waited for a week. But no phone call ever came. Then two weeks later, one guy from that company suddenly called me regarding the job, asked if I have already got another job, and I said I haven’t. He told me that they will call me again to set the schedule for the final interview. But weeks had passed, and no phone call ever came.

Indeed it was a lesson learned. It was an eye opener to me. Good educational background is definitely an advantage, but having a diploma and good grades from a prestigious university is not a guarantee that you’ll be able to get the job that you want. Not to mention there are an awful lot of competition out there vying for one job post. No, I’m not only referring to my batch mates and other people of my age, I also mean everyone, professionals and older people alike.

You, too, should be open-minded with what is happening around you. Because if you don’t, the rest of the world will never wait for you, and you’ll be left out as everyone else has moved on.