Shauna Moerke is…

When I was unemployed and seemingly getting nowhere in my job search, one of the hardest realities I had to face was that sometimes, it really didn’t matter how qualified or perfect I felt I was for a job. The problem wasn’t me or my knowledge, skills, or education; the problem was that there were tons of equally skilled (if not more so) applicants for the job.

Now that I am gainfully employed and back on the other side of the process, I hear from candidates who are both saddened and upset that they didn’t even get an opportunity to interview for a position. They feel ignored and in a way cheated out of the opportunity. I can relate to that feeling, I’ve been there. Unemployment can make you feel ashamed and powerless. Getting a canned rejection notice for job after job doesn’t help.

But you know what doesn’t help? Letting that frustration get the best of you so that you act unprofessionally and thus burn any future bridges you might have been able to cross. Don’t act like the company owes you an interview. Certainly don’t make angry calls and emails. It will hurt your chances now and in the future. It may be cliched, but sometimes you aren’t the problem in the process, unless you choose to make yourself one.