Career
Imposter syndrome, and how to stay steady while job hunting in the U.S.
Application 300. Nothing back.
If that's you right now, take a breath. I sent 400 applications before I got my first interview, and that was for an internship.
It's the norm in the country with the most cutthroat job market in the world right now.
Job hunting in the U.S. is a long game. If yours was fast, congratulations. If you're getting discouraged, or starting to doubt yourself (that's imposter syndrome), a few things helped me.
Important enough to say three times
Protect your mental health.
Protect your mental health.
Protect your mental health.
A rejection email says less than you think
It doesn't mean you're not good. Maybe you just weren't the right fit for that company at that moment.
That was the mindset shift that mattered most to me. Once I made it, a rejection email stopped feeling like something to worry about. A better-fitting company was still out there, and who knows, maybe it paid more.
An hour a day
I spent about an hour a day tailoring my CV and applying. The rest of the time I studied, played sports, went for walks - anything to keep my mind from living inside the search. The exercise helped with stress, too.
The U.S. wasn't my only plan
I decided early that if I couldn't find a job in the U.S., I'd widen the search to other countries, even going back home. I care a lot about how I think. Even without the chance to work alongside great people in the U.S., I'd still be sharpening how I think and how I work in school. And that meant
I could live anywhere, not just the U.S., and do any kind of work.
Working in your first language has perks, too. You never have to double-check a verb tense.
