But on the other hand, I’ve been told that you never know until you try. A rejection isn’t an affirmation of your uselessness as a human being, it’s bringing you one step closer to an acceptance. Maybe your dream job is in Arkansas. And if anything, perseverance is something to be admired.
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| In-person interviews are still important, but not quite as common as they used to be. Source |
It’s clear that our parent’s “infallible” advice about getting a job no longer holds true. You can’t just “go to the headquarters, give them your resume and be personable!” when the job market spans the entire country. Most of the application process has been digitized, thanks to virtual employment marketplaces like ZipRecruiter and softwares like Zoom and Google Hangouts, resulting in unparalleled efficiency and speed. Luciano Floridi’s arguments in The Fourth Revolution take on a new dimension when applied to this current job search process — whatever “defines us uniquely” is no longer the mix of skills and hobbies it might have been in the past. If, according to your resume, you’re a senior at an elite university that knows Python, is passionate about AI, and wants to become a SWE at Google, you’re just one of thousands with the exact same list. You have to leverage your connections, know someone who knows someone, or just get lucky.
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| Interview chagrin hits hard. Source |
I’ll argue that as long as you’re aware, digitized job applications promote positive moral development. Getting rejected repeatedly teaches us that we can’t have everything we want, that the world is bigger than we know, and that it’s important to keep trying. As Floridi hints, we’re actually pushed to understand ourselves better — do I actually want to work at Google, or do I just want the prestige? If we’re not at the center of the infosphere, how do we want to fit into it? And what will personal meaning and fulfillment look like in our lives, when we’re miles away from the pressure-pot competitiveness that permeates much of campus?
Hi Sam, great post! I (like many seniors) can connect to this post on a personal level. I’ve felt the pain of applying and getting rejected from a healthy amount of jobs, and I liked the viewpoint you gave about learning from these rejections and considering why you truly want a job in the first place. I think you did a great job tying in the readings and applying them to something relevant to us. I’d recommend maybe swapping out the second picture for something like the logos of the businesses you mention.
ReplyDeleteHey Sam, I really liked the way you structured the blog post. By starting off by providing an (unfortunately) familiar job recruiting scenario, it helps paint a clear picture of the issue at hand. You then smoothly incorporated two separate readings by drawing connections and raising some very meaningful and thought-provoking questions. Lastly, you leave us with a hard to answer rhetorical questions that open up the discussion on why so many students pursue these big software companies. The questions at the end made me reflect upon my job search as I'm a senior looking to work at these companies.
ReplyDeleteHi Sam, I think you did a great job hooking in the reader and structuring your blog. However, I think one way you can improve is by going more in-depth in the readings. For example, you mention the Vallor reading but you don't really go in depth with it. I also think that the second picture can be a little confusing and maybe you can put a picture that relates more directly with your blog.
ReplyDeleteHi Sam, first of all, I think your title and the first paragraph you have are really great for catching the readers attention. Specifically the first paragraph was so relatable to me and was ultimately what got me to click on your post. I think your article could, however, be improved in some aspects. One thing that could be improved is to give a little bit more context for the readings you are referring to. People may not be from this class when they read and might not be aware of those readings. Another thing you could work on is your conclusion. The conclusion contains this call to action at the end to be aware of digitized job recruiting and how difficult it can be, but I dont feel you make the problem sounds bad enough to encourage the reader to do anything.
ReplyDeleteHi Sam, I would first like to point out how your title and first paragraph is very eye-catching. They play an important role of attracting readers to your post and I like how you pose two contrasting perspectives. In the ways that you can improve your post, I saw that you briefly mention concepts from the Floridi and Vallor articles. Though they go well with your example, I think more could be said about them and you can expand more about the concepts. This brings me to my next point of trying to use the concepts from readings as the main point of the post, rather than using them to support your example. Some clarification in what your argument also might help, because I had to go back and read the last paragraph again to figure out your main point.
ReplyDeleteHi, I really like your post, I think most of us, the reader is experiencing the same situation so that many of the audience will attract by your post. I like your last part, you said something about how you feel about it, and how you understanding it. I will recommend explaining more about how digitized job applications related to the ethics problem, I think the more serious problem is more people rejected by the auto selection, that will become a stander, so people applied that job will be very similar, and diversity will become a problem.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post legitimately resonated with me heavily. As a computer science major, I have struggled for the past three years trying to find my way around the way-too-competitive job market for college interns. I have also faced countless rejections. That is the main reason why I was seriously draw to your article: because it is something I have seen and been affected by in my own life. I really like how you tied in Luciano Floridi's argument expressed about the Fourth Revolution. It is not enough to have the "ideal skillset" anymore since there are so many more external factors that contribute to whether or not you get the job, or even the interview. I also really liked the comment at the end about how we are trying to truly understand ourselves. It is human nature to want prestige attached to our name, but do we really have a desire and want to work at company xyz or do we just want to do it for the clout? This was all around a solid and very relatable post.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I want to start off by saying I really love the style and voice in this blog post, it's very unique and captivating in its own right. Secondly, I too resonate with struggling when it comes to job searching. I'm sure almost all of us can relate to recruiting purgatory. You made some really interesting points and the one about connections really stood out to me. It really does seem like it boils down to people you know. Great post.
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