The Job Market has definitely been rough these days.
Even for myself, with part of my career working as a freelancer, I still worked the 9-5 for my main source of income. But in October 2023, I fell victim to a round of layoffs the company I worked for was going through. And ultimately laid off from my Marketing Director position.
Safe to say, what came next was a rough life experience to be sure.
I’d been very fortunate in my career in that with each stage and opportunity were made through referrals. Whether through friends, co-workers, supervisors, clients, definitely gave merit to that saying, “…who you know.”
While my contacts offered what help they could, there wasn’t a position to be had.
The inspiration for this comic came when the education hit when it came to adapting to pivot was necessary. Never one shy to adapt, but the ramp up being out of the application game for a hot minute was rough to be sure.
Not only not having a current resume, but there was also having to learn current formatting strategies. Also came, being a creative, updating my brand to present myself with. But not only data and creative, there was the challenge with the dreaded Applicant Tracking System (ATS).
If you don’t know, ATS is the software companies use to screen resumes and applications. Call it AI if you want, but it’s essentially the digital gatekeeper to see if you merit being seen by flesh and blood.
Sure, there’s been a couple interviews. But there’s definitely been a healthy amount of no calls and ghosting. For a bit I thought it was me, maybe I just wasn’t a competitive candidate. But while that still may be true to some extent, more and more I would hear stories from others in the job search that would mimic my own.
But why share all of this with you? Well, this comic was an outlet to express the exhaustion and frustration… but also, read somewhere, these days just as important to share the story behind the art, not just the art itself.
So, if you’re on your own job search, you’re not alone friend. And I wish you all the best.
If you dug this installment of TALES FROM THE HEARTLAND, you get a copy on my Zazzle store here: https://www.zazzle.com/tales_from_the_heartland_25_poster-256093191786785620