Job Search- Playing the probability game

Hey Guys,

A lot of people ask me a common question, “How do I get a job?”. Whether it’s someone looking for an on-campus job or a professional internship, I give the same answer- it’s all about playing the probability game. My theory is simply, the more you apply, the more chances you will have at getting a job. It is important to understand that to get a job, you’ll have to be the person the employer is looking for. So if you don’t get a job, don’t get dejected. It has nothing to do with your caliber, the employer is just looking for a different kind of person.

I can vouch for this from personal experience. As a freshman I was trying really hard to get an on-campus job. I got rejected by about 10 departments. It was the first time ever in my life I had been rejected for something. My self esteem was a deflated balloon. But I kept trying and finally landed a position at the CC info desk.

Similar story in my sophomore year. I wanted to do a co-op and applied to about 25 companies. Most of them never responded, some had already filled their positions and some rejected my application. But finally a software company in Virginia interviewed me and I had a job by the end of the day.

I now realize, it was not really about my potential or caliber that I got rejected for some jobs, it was a matter of timing. If you apply when an employer is not planning to hire, you won’t get the job no matter what. And the only way to know who’s hiring and who’s not is to keep applying till you get the magic catch…

So believe in yourself and send out those resumes and cover letters…

-Ashik