There is something that no one tells us after graduation: the hardship of applying for a job, feeling lost, and the pressure from ourselves and our families.
For someone who took a degree in civil engineering, there is always pressure and a dilemma whether you take the board exam or start working without having a license.
If you grow up in a privileged family where you don’t need to think about money to spend, it is easy to choose, you can prepare for your board exam and go to your review center for a review.
I do not have this privilege, so choosing the second one is the only option that I have.
Two to three weeks before the graduation, I was preparing my resume and trying to apply for a job.
I had a lot of research on how I write my resume even without any experience in this field.
I remember learning how HRs scan your resume, what they look into, and how they decide if they should hire you.
I thought it was easy. I applied for jobs, but no one was hiring me. Some are not even responding to my applications.
Despite of it, I did not stop. I applied for more jobs, downloaded JobStreet, Indeed, and submitted applications on Facebook Hiring Posts.
I submitted about 65 job applications, I got 5 interviews, 2 of them made it to the final interview, where I rejected one of them because I don’t like the offer, and the other one is the job that I have right now.
Yes, after 65 job applications, I finally have a job!
My entire job-hunting journey was exhausting not only physically but also emotionally and financially. I always ask myself, “Why aren’t they accepting my application?”
There were downs, but I know for myself that there is something for improvement.
Aside from that, the financial burden of spending on transportation and food when doing face-to-face interviews was draining.
So, if you noticed why I am spending and powering down on my account, it is one of the reasons why.
Just want to add this story on this blog, out of 5 interviews, there was a company that I feel is one of the best.
I think they have the work-life balance that I am looking for, 5 working days a week, a good location, and they did not even ask or question my asking salary.
I was praying that I hope I can get that job, even though I knew to myself that I had a low chance because of my performance at the CAD assessment. Weeks later, they never responded to my application, no updates from them.
Hence, I accepted that it is not for me. After that, I think I applied for 5 more jobs. Then I stopped applying. I told myself that I will rest for the meantime.
I’ll go to Batangas and have a vacation, after all, I spent 4 years studying engineering – I thought it was time for me to have a break.
But after 1 week, someone called me. It was from an unknown number, I answered.
The other line is asking me questions, but it turns out that they are looking for a licensed civil engineer, so it was an auto-reject.
I now had a solid plan on when I should go to Batangas…but the next day, the same number was calling – they said they are considering my application and I should go to the site tomorrow as soon as possible to start.
I was overwhelmed.
Earlier, I was planning to go to Batangas, but now, they sent me a job offer asking me to confirm it. After reading the terms and conditions, I accepted it. I know that I can grow with the company.
I have done my research, visited their social media, and decided to accept it. It was a rush decision, but I feel that it was worth it.
As of now, I have been working for more than two weeks. There were learning curves, and I know that there is something to improve in myself. It is testing my decision-making, critical thinking, and patience.
One thing that I love about the workplace is that the workers are also kind and patient with me. They know that it is my first job, so they are offering their help to help me learn things in this industry.
I was afraid at first, but they are approachable and always help me to decide, they give their opinions and suggestions, and then decide what is the best thing to do when a problem arises on site.
But if you ask me about its downside, probably the working schedule has 6 working days a week, which is a bit draining.
Nevertheless, I only do supervision and daily and weekly reports, so I think it is not a bad offer after all.
The 6-day schedule is normal in this industry, but maybe soon I will find a new one that I can say I have a 2-day off.