It's been a year. A data-driven celebration of getting told "no" by professionals, at scale.
A cry for help, disguised as an infographic.
Forty-one companies got to meet the real me. Forty-one companies politely declined the offer.
streams. A timeless classic. I now know every word — the wistful "thank you for your interest," the key change at "highly competitive process," the fade-out on "we wish you the best."
Featured artists: the template, the no-reply address, and the 11pm "unfortunately."
Six final rounds. Zero offers. I am, statistically, extremely close to being employed and yet so very far.
19 never even said hello. They saw the application, looked me dead in the eye through the screen, and chose silence.
~38 hours across 52 live rounds, where I explained the same three projects with escalating enthusiasm to strangers who'd already decided.
"Tell me about a time you faced a challenge." Sir, I'm in one.
A title I applied for 15 times and currently hold at exactly 0 companies. Aspirational. A vibe. A LinkedIn headline held together by hope.
Half the doors I knocked on actually opened. Once I'm in the room, I go deep. The data says I'm good. The offer count says "[citation needed]."
The job funnel is a slot machine and I have a mortgage's worth of quarters. The rejections are just the spins that didn't land yet. (This is a coping mechanism and it is working.)