It's never a positive thing when someone rejects you. It may not even be a personal thing, but it sure does feel like it. The gut-wrenching agony of knowing your best just isn't good enough. It's a dreadful feeling to be told you aren't wanted, even in the politest of terms it's down right awful. Unfortunately, it has to happen over and over again.

Job hunting isn't easy. Not in this economy, not in this city even. Competition is fierce and money is always running short. Few companies are willing to train anyone, so they demand entry level applicants already have experience. That way they don't have to waste money on training. Unfortunately, it blocks a lot of young people from getting hired and starting their careers. No one gives us a chance because it's too much money and too much risk. I try not to blame employers, they have businesses to run. It's hard not to cast blame though, when I look at my very empty bank account and try to find something to keep myself occupied while I wait for the next phone call. Sometimes it's weeks or months before I get another. Sometimes they'll have me trek all the way into the city for an interview, paying peak transit fares, only to never call me back not even to reject me. I spend money to see these people, and they don't even have the courtesy to send a template email saying they were sorry. They can't be bothered.

I get it, life and business are a flurry of things to do and people to see. I'd like to help and be a part of that world. So I'll smile and do my best to make an amazing impression. When, or if, they call me to say I didn't get the job I'm still in professional mode. I greet them warmly, respond positively and act as graciously as humanly possible. It's only decent and I want to present my most professional self even in a difficult moment. So when someone tells me over the phone that I'm not good enough, that they found someone better, I thank them kindly. I wish them and their business well while offering my gratitude for even the tiny chance at a job. It's unfortunate, but now in these tough times I'm grateful for even a polite rejection.

As the titled explains... I am getting discouraged. I have been applying left and right for work. Everyday, I'm putting myself out there as much as I possibly can. To be fair, I have gotten a lot of responses! In fact, the first day of using my new phone I had a phone interview for the perfect job. I was even offered the position while on the phone. We discussed everything and he said he would get it set up. Then the next day I received a rejection email. The interviewer had been so enthusiastic about hiring me on the phone... I was confused. I brushed it off as they found someone better.

Then the same thing happened the following week. And then again. And again. In four weeks, I've been turned down for countless jobs right after making it through the hiring process. According to each interviewer, I was personable and met all their criteria. What was I doing wrong?  Finally, I asked the last interviewer who rejected me why they had made the decision. What did I need to work on? She took a while to get back to me, but awkwardly explained that the company was nervous to hire someone on a visa. They preferred to hire nationals instead of foreigners.

That was odd. I had already explained that my visa allowed me to work and there would be no issues. I even said I would be willing to return to Canada and switch visas if they wanted me as a permanent hire. I had done my research and knew what the requirements were. Still, that was their reasoning. No foreign-nationals. During the interview, she figured I would be fine to hire and enthusiastically offered me the job anyways. But when she took it to her superiors... that's when I was rejected. They were anxious about hiring immigrants and didn't want to be painted in a poor light for not supporting jobs for UK citizens.

I felt horrible. I never knew it would be so hard to get a job. I thanked the interviewer for her candor and went back to applying. It's been a week since then and I'm losing more hope with every rejection. Am I not worthy because I'm Canadian?

Dana~

I began my job hunt the other day and realized I was missing one very important thing. A UK phone number. I couldn't exactly give them my boyfriend's cell number, he rarely checks his phone and I don't want to miss an opportunity. So I came to the decision of purchasing a basic cellphone so I could apply for work. It also would come in handy if my partner or friends needed to contact me when I'm out and about. Especially since I find myself wandering through town aimlessly nowadays. It is quite beautiful and I adore the historical buildings.

Anyways, I explained my position to my partner who agreed and said I should look for a good company. He wanted to switch to a new plan since his company was gouging him every month. Thus I set out to visit the phone shops on the High Street the following day. I stopped at all of them and discussed phone plans. They all were really expensive for what I wanted. Also everyone kept trying to sell me on a smartphone when all I needed was a basic phone for texting and phone calls.

 Eventually, I met my partner at his brother's house both tired and frustrated that I had not found a solution to my cellphone problem. My partner corrected my English, reminding me that they were called mobiles here. As I was about to tell him I didn't care, the fiance of my partner's brother spoke up. She told me about her phone plan and how if I purchased a cheap phone from Amazon, I could sign up with giffgaff. Everything was done online and you could order a free sim card right away. They even had a plan which included everything I needed for only a few quid a month.

It sounded too good to be true, but I spent the rest of the afternoon looking it up. She had been right. Even better, once we switched my partner over, texting between us was free! I ordered the sim cards that night and began searching for my new phone on Amazon. Hopefully I'll be hooked up with my new "mobile" number soon!

Dana~

I suppose I should introduce myself. Or should I talk about this blog? There's not much to say about it right now, the website has yet to be developed so why discuss it? I guess that leads to the discussion of me as someone who is sort of developed. I write, I ramble. I'm often out of my mind but focused on what I'm doing. My current focus is job hunting and developing myself as a person. I finished college a year ago, studying professional writing in hopes it would open new doors. Thus far it hasn't even opened a window, but my horizons certainly broadened.

A sunset shot from my trip to  Harrison Hot Springs, BC

I had the time to travel, first camping around BC and then to the UK of all places. It was never high on my list of post-education destinations; Japan was always a childhood dream vacation. But I formed a relationship across the pond and the travel plans made sense. Besides, doesn't everyone go backpacking in Europe after college? Though, the UK isn't really in Europe and staying in a rural cottage for the summer isn't really backpacking.

So those are my most recent exploits. College graduation, job hunting and international travel...Boy, do I feel like a cliche.  Either way, I created this blog so as to practice my skills and make sure I had an online presence. Now let's hope my Photoshop skills don't fail me as I try to assemble this page!

Posts that may appear here will include anything from politics and local news to my daily happenings and video games. Hopefully my writings will be insightful to you, readers of the Internet. Maybe my personal growth will be entertaining or educational...Though I have my doubts.

Dana~