More than Battle

I find myself facing a rite of passage that not many people like to discuss. Well, what makes it a rite of passage in the first place? First, every time I tell people of the task at hand, I receive well wishes and good luck on my endeavor. If that's not enough, it fits the exact definition by James C. Livingston, author of Anatomy of the Sacred.

What is this horrid journey before me? Finding a job. Yes people, finding a job is the next rite of passage in America. There's Bar Mitzvah, then there's college which has multiple passages in itself (e.g.: fraternity membership, binging, turning 21, walks of shame, etc.) but I believe the job hunt is being forgotten when it's becoming the most important and difficult passage today.

It irks me that most people take this passage lightly. They refer to it lightly as "the job hunt." Well I'm not satisfied with that. I'm going to take the initiative and let it be known that this is not just a hunt. A hunt whether for job or for game implies a quick kill. One shot here, maybe another shot there, you get what you want and you're momentarily happy. Before you know it, you're out hunting again. No people, finding a job straight out of college is not a one shot kill, it is a battle.

You are armed with an arsenal of resumes and cover letters to get you into enemy lines. This is the only time that espionage and destruction are meant to lead to collaboration. Once infiltrated, you have to use your charm, your wit, and your intelligence, your patience because you will get caught in the interview, the torturous interview. You're so thirsty to finish this battle that you want to be in the interview, let them take your best shot at you where they focus on your weaknesses and twist your answers to something you didn't mean to say. But you can keep your cool. You're a soldier, not just a hunter. Then they lock you in a gripping prison. Will they call? Will they not call? It's a test of the mind that only the victorious know how to pass. But then again, the victorious are much better at avoiding the battle in the first place.

The Valkyries may ride. Whether the battle is won or lost, remember that this is a war for a career. A job doesn't define your drive. Your career path is one of many anchors of success. Do not look back at it as a series of hunts. It is one unified fight. Yes, careers may change but the war is still the same. Are you going to fight to make your productivity the best that it can and will be? Remember, you are not a job hunter. You are a career warrior.