In our latest podcast episode, we had the pleasure of welcoming Elvi Caperonis, a renowned LinkedIn top voice and certified Scrum and Agile career coach. In a world where job seekers face unprecedented challenges, Elvi brings her wealth of experience to discuss the essential theme of resilience in today’s job market. Her insights resonate deeply with those who find themselves navigating the often discouraging landscape of job applications, rejections, and the overwhelming feeling of uncertainty.
Elvi starts the conversation by addressing a fundamental aspect of job searching: the importance of not taking rejection personally. In a climate where job seekers may receive multiple rejections or even be ghosted by potential employers, her message is clear: use these experiences as catalysts for personal growth. Instead of viewing setbacks as failures, Elvi encourages listeners to reframe their perspectives, understanding that every rejection is a stepping stone toward future success.
In our discussion, Elvi emphasized the need for a strategic approach to job applications. Rather than applying haphazardly to numerous positions, she suggests refining one’s methods. This involves tailoring resumes and cover letters to specific job descriptions and demonstrating genuine interest in potential employers. Her practical advice empowers job seekers to present themselves as standout candidates, increasing their chances of landing interviews.
Networking is another crucial element Elvi highlighted during our conversation. She passionately encourages listeners to leverage their networks, reminding them that many opportunities arise through personal connections. By actively engaging with industry professionals and participating in relevant communities, job seekers can uncover hidden job markets and gain invaluable insights into potential roles.
Continuous self-improvement is a recurring theme in Elvi’s coaching philosophy. She advocates for expanding one’s knowledge through reading, online courses, and professional development. In a rapidly evolving job landscape, staying competitive requires a commitment to learning and growth. Elvi’s emphasis on investing in oneself serves as a reminder that even in challenging times, individuals have the power to enhance their skill sets and increase their employability.
One of the most relatable challenges job seekers face is the experience of being ghosted by potential employers. Elvi provides actionable strategies for coping with this frustrating situation, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a positive mindset. She suggests setting a routine that includes regular follow-ups and dedicating time to other productive activities, thus ensuring that the job search remains an active and engaging process.
Elvi also highlights the significance of mindfulness in maintaining resilience. By practicing mindfulness techniques, job seekers can manage stress and anxiety, keeping their spirits high throughout the job search. This holistic approach to job hunting not only fosters mental well-being but also enhances focus and clarity when pursuing career goals.
Throughout the episode, Elvi instills hope in her audience. She reassures listeners that the job market is ever-evolving, and while the path may be challenging, there are always opportunities for growth and success. Her insights remind us that resilience is not just about bouncing back from setbacks but also about adapting to changing circumstances with grace and determination.
As we concluded our conversation, Elvi encouraged listeners to explore alternative career options. Sometimes, the most fulfilling paths are those that we may not have initially considered. By keeping an open mind and being willing to pivot, job seekers can discover new opportunities that align with their passions and strengths.
In summary, this episode with Elvi Caperonis is a treasure trove of inspiration and practical advice for anyone navigating the complexities of the job market. Her unique blend of empathy and pragmatism offers a refreshing perspective on resilience, empowering listeners to embrace their journeys with confidence and optimism. Join us as we explore these strategies and more in this inspiring conversation, designed to uplift and equip job seekers in today’s ever-changing landscape.
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Transcript:
[00:00:00] Elvi Caperonis: Right now I’m telling people, if you apply to 100 jobs, listen to this. If you apply to 100 jobs and you hear back from one of these companies, that is a win. That is the mindset that I want all job seekers to have right now. Um, the job market is challenging. Companies are taking a long time to analyze what candidate they want to bring for an interview because all of this is costly for the companies.
And also, they are considering that they may need to lay off people down the road. So, there are a lot of things happening right now.
[00:00:30] Mary Southern: Before we start the show, I have a quick question for you. Is your resume stuck in the rejection pile? At Resume Assassin, I create powerful resumes that showcase your skills, experience, and achievements, getting you noticed by recruiters.
I’ll also optimize your LinkedIn profile, transforming it into a brand. Into a magnet for opportunity, visit resume assassin.com today. Take charge of your job search. Visit [00:01:00] resume assassin.com. Welcome to Resume Assassin Presents Recruiting Insider, where I create a safe space to have candid conversations with recruiters and LinkedIn thought leaders.
This podcast promises to inform, entertain, and inspire. Elvie Capones. Welcome to Recruiting Insider.
[00:01:21] Elvi Caperonis: Thank you so much, Mary, for inviting me. It’s a pleasure to be here with you.
[00:01:27] Mary Southern: Elvie is a LinkedIn top voice and personal development with over 127, 000 followers on LinkedIn. She’s a certified scrum and agile career coach professional with over 10 years of experience in program management.
She worked as a techno functional reporting analyst at Harvard. She holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science. a master’s in software engineering and an executive master’s of business administration. Today, we’re going to discuss [00:02:00] something that is so important in today’s job market, how to be resilient.
Elvie, you have such an impressive background. Can you tell us a bit about your own career journey and what led you to become a certified Scrum and Agile career coach?
[00:02:17] Elvi Caperonis: Very good question. Uh, when in 2020, um, when, uh, I saw a lot of people facing, uh, challenging job market during the pandemic, a lot of people were losing their jobs.
And I saw a lot of people, um, needing some, some hope, some, some, uh, inspirational, um, words to keep going, just to keep going, you know, because it was kind of crazy, the situation that was going on. So, um, I saw myself, how can I contribute to them? And I decided to start writing down motivational posts. My first post that I wrote on LinkedIn got zero likes.
And that was .
[00:02:54] Mary Southern: Yeah, .
[00:02:55] Elvi Caperonis: I wanted to see, I think we all
[00:02:56] Mary Southern: can relate to that.
[00:02:59] Elvi Caperonis: I wanted to [00:03:00] send a cute, a cute message saying, don’t give up. Things are gonna turn out for good sooner than later. Please keep your faith up. Those are very simple posts. I thought a lot of people were gonna relate to it, but no, I get zero likes, zero views, no comments.
Uh, but that didn’t discourage me, Mary, I’m very resilient. I, um, Very resilient. I decided to just keep going. I said, I, I believe I do have value to add to this community and they can all learn from my experience. So I started on a daily basis, posting my inspirational thoughts, my, my ideas, my career journey.
Um, and I, I started to get some momentum with people, uh, resignating with my content. Uh, so it was just sending a little bit of hope to everybody who was struggling to. to keep it up with what was going on during the pandemic. So my hope was to [00:04:00] start encouraging job seekers to keep going. And I decided to become a certified career coach because I believed I had some value to add to them because I’ve been interviewing, um, Candidates for the past 10 years.
So I said, I, I definitely can help out on that. I help them to prepare, you know, the fact that I landed a job, uh, offer at Harvard university, and then a job offer at Amazon, I thought maybe there is something that I can share with them that may help them. So that’s why I started.
[00:04:30] Mary Southern: What was the biggest.
issue that those job seekers were facing in 2020, and how did you teach them to be more resilient?
[00:04:44] Elvi Caperonis: So, um, that’s a very good question. I, I believe I started sharing my own experiences. Um, I have been rejected over a thousand times now, but I always take rejections as an opportunity to improve myself. I don’t think a rejection [00:05:00] is a something that is going to bring me down.
I don’t take it personally. Honestly, I don’t take it personally. There are so many things going on in companies. There are so many things that recruiters may overlooked and there are many things that hiring managers can overlook. They only look at your resume for Maybe 30 seconds one minute maximum five minutes I would say maximum and you’re lucky if they spend five minutes looking for sure honestly so You cannot base your value on a decision that was made in such a short period of time I mean you do have a career And, um, you are a professional.
You have so much value to add because you already have added value to other companies for people who have experience and for people who don’t have work experience. They, they, they have graduated from a bachelor’s degree. They went to university and, um, all the value that they have delivered, even at university, at school, in school, [00:06:00] even at home.
Sometimes we develop skills that are transferable. You know, I wouldn’t measure my value, my, my, my self value on the decision of a hiding manager who only took one hour to interview me. Uh, I don’t think they preach it.
[00:06:13] Mary Southern: No, absolutely. And I love that you said you never know what’s going on. Inside the heads of the employer Don’t take it personally.
It’s hard. I know I I totally relate i’ve been rejected to thousands of positions As well, maybe not thousands, but i’ve been rejected to lots and lots of jobs And I think that a lot of people especially in the job market right now are really Just going through it with those rejections and sometimes it’s hard to not take it personally, you know, but like you said, you just, you never know what’s going on, what the thought process is.
Yeah, what’s the decision making process? Maybe they already have the [00:07:00] position filled. Maybe they just decided that they’re holding off and they’re not going to hire somebody right now. Don’t, I totally agree. Don’t. Connect all of your self worth and all of your value with that position. And specifically, like you said, hiring managers are taking five seconds to review your resume.
Don’t let that hold you back and get you down.
[00:07:24] Elvi Caperonis: And sometimes they do make mistakes, Mary. I have seen cases where the top candidates was not hired for the job. And, um, companies that are afraid of making mistakes. I want to tell everybody, every, every job seeker facing rejection and, um, and looking only from their perspective, think of from the perspective of employer, they do make mistakes and sometimes they hire the wrong candidate.
Uh, so you may be rejected sometimes for the wrong reasons. Like I have seen people being rejected for a gap in the resume. Um, they didn’t actually dive deeper into why that gap [00:08:00] is there. Some people take a gap even to work for immigration documentation. Some people take a gap to take care of their kids, which is, is the world we’re living in.
We need to take care of our kids. So, um, I totally respect, um, mothers who need to take a leave, a year to, to take care of their family. And you develop a lot of skills, taking care of kids. Trust me, we learned to multitask. My, my kids are actually make me a better leader. I mean, they teach me to be patient.
They
[00:08:28] Mary Southern: talk about resilience, right?
[00:08:31] Elvi Caperonis: They teach me a lot of skills that I can apply at work. So don’t take it personally because companies do make mistakes. I will say it is probably not a high number, but. I will say that 20 percent or 50, between 20 percent and 40 percent of the time, they do make mistakes.
They don’t hire the top candidates. So if you’ve been rejected, think of that, that they also have a huge likelihood of, uh, Over, um, overlooking at the right candidate because sometimes they have [00:09:00] ATS system scanning resumes and they discard potential candidates just because an ATS system said that your, your resume is not ATS compliant.
They may overlook a top candidate right there just from the resume review process.
[00:09:14] Mary Southern: 100%. I’ve seen that all the time. And I work with a lot of clients in writing resumes and they come to me and I’m like, Oh my gosh, your background is amazing. But sometimes those ATS systems don’t pick that up.
[00:09:29] Elvi Caperonis: Exactly.
Don’t take it personally. If you apply right now, I’m telling people, if you apply to 100 jobs, listen to this. If you apply to 100 jobs and you hear back from one of these companies, that is a win. That is a mindset that I want all job seekers to have right now. Um, the job market is challenging. Companies are taking long time to analyze what candidate they want to bring for an interview, because all of this is costly for the companies.
And also they are considering that they may need to lay off people down the road. So there [00:10:00] are a lot of things happening right now.
[00:10:02] Mary Southern: I think a lot of people get stuck in the mindset, you know, Oh, maybe 10 years ago, 15 years ago. I could apply for five jobs. I had four interviews and three job offers and it’s just a completely different job market like lv said it’s like If you’re applying to 100 jobs and you get one interview or or one job Even if you get one interview out of that, you know, if you get one job offer out of that, that’s even More amazing.
You just can’t compare today’s job market to 15 years ago
[00:10:34] Elvi Caperonis: And some people are lucky to do that. Uh, the other thing that i’m also advising candidates is Don’t apply blindly. You are probably wasting your time. Uh, try to apply strategically. Try to apply to roles that you probably have a leverage. This means that if they say PMP is something nice to have, if you have it, uh, you will probably be a top candidate.
Try to apply strategically if you don’t want to [00:11:00] face all of these rejections. Um, I’m okay with rejections. I, I do, I do learn from them. Um, I do learn from them, from every single one of them, but for people who don’t want to face rejection, I recommend them to apply strategically.
[00:11:13] Mary Southern: Mm hmm. Like, just two roles.
Don’t spray and pray. Just two roles that
[00:11:18] Elvi Caperonis: you are top candidates. And Linton tells you when you are a top candidate for certain roles. But even top candidates are being rejected right now.
[00:11:25] Mary Southern: Absolutely. Yeah. I think I saw a statistic that 70 percent of job seekers are passively searching right now too. So that makes it even more competitive.
You know, you have those people that are kind of desperately searching, they’re in the market, they’ve been searching for a long time. And you know, not only are they going up against a lot of people who have recently been laid off, but they’re also going up against people who are actually happily employed with their current employer.
They’re just, Passively searching and updating their documents just in case, right?
[00:11:58] Elvi Caperonis: Exactly. Yeah, that’s [00:12:00] correct. Because a lot of people are realizing that life is much more than work. The pandemics has have taught us that, uh, quality of life matters, balance matters, and we, all of that need, um, need a job and deserve a job that allows us to have a very, uh, solid quality life.
You know, otherwise, why do you work? You work to be able to spend time with your family to be able to do things that actually makes you happy. And, um, being burnt out is something very real that we realized after the pandemic, especially for people transitioning from working in an office and working in, um, In their house, they realize that the commute was actually taking a very, very big chance of their day.
And, um, so people are not willing to go back to that. And that’s making the market even more competitive for jobs that are, uh, remote. Some companies are realizing that people need that flexibility and their transition into remote. [00:13:00] Um, I do believe remote is a win win. Some companies don’t see it that way, but, um, I believe more and more companies are gonna are gonna see it sooner than later.
[00:13:10] Mary Southern: Absolutely. I couldn’t agree with you more there. And I do want to dig into your background and your experience as well, because you mentioned that you’ve gone through thousands of rejections yourself. And I would also imagine that transitioning from Harvard to MIT. Amazon. I mean, that’s a significant leap in itself.
Did you face any challenges during this career move? And if so, how did you navigate them?
[00:13:36] Elvi Caperonis: Initially, when I, um, when I was applying for jobs in the United States, I started getting a lot of rejections. You know, English is not my first language. I learned English Uh, when I moved to the States, when I came here in 2011, I couldn’t speak a word of English.
Wow. So I thought I was going to be able to speak with people, but I faced the reality. Uh, Mary, you, you guys speak very fast [00:14:00] and it’s very difficult for me to catch up. You know, I spent six months in
[00:14:04] Mary Southern: Nicaragua and I thought I would be okay too. And I was like, Whoa, slow down.
[00:14:09] Elvi Caperonis: You experienced Nicaragua what I experienced here in the United States.
So I was just saying thank you so much. That was my only word. Thank you so much was my favorite word. That was the only one I could pronounce and smile. So I was smiling and saying thank you so much. But little by little, I was able to listen to people and, um, Speaking slowly until, until I was able to go to a job interview.
My first job interview in English was not good at all. It was, it was a challenge. Yeah. I faced a rejection. Some of the concepts, technical concepts on my work, I couldn’t. I couldn’t explain them well, so I didn’t know how to explain them in English. So I, I, that was my first rejection here in America. And, um, I approached the situation [00:15:00] in a way that I said, well, I know what I could have done better, so I’m going to practice that for the next time.
I use that as an opportunity to improve myself. I didn’t think like, oh, well I got rejected. No, I, I, I. I thought that, um, well, I could improve my English, so I kept polishing on my English and I kept studying the concepts of, of, of my, the technology that I was working to be able to express myself better in English.
Um, I always think that rejections are opportunities to improve yourself.
[00:15:32] Mary Southern: I
[00:15:32] Elvi Caperonis: don’t think rejections are something that you should take personally. We get rejected all the time for things that we don’t have control on. We can, the only thing that we can control is what we do next. I keep telling people, you don’t control what others do, but you are the owner of what you do next.
So I always think, what is my next move? What I can move on from this situation and go into, into [00:16:00] the place where I want to be. So I started preparing myself more. So. I see a lot of people right now being layoff and struggling to go back to the job market. I recommend some people don’t be desperate to go back to the job market.
Maybe sometimes, sometimes you just need a little break, uh, to relax. So you go to an interview and you are more relaxed because when companies see that you’re not relaxed, um, you probably won’t get the job when they see that you’re a little too desperate, that actually goes against you. So I recommend people to take breaks.
Uh, think about what are the things that you can do to take yourself to the next level. What are the things in your career, like maybe taking a new course, Coursera is offering a lot of courses, even Harvard University is offering a few courses that are free, um, Google is offering a project management course that is certificate, that is amazing.
So I recommend people to start preparing themselves. For the next level of their career, take a step back and prepare yourself. Uh, don’t, don’t jump into job interviews right away because you [00:17:00] may be stressed out and that’s something that is playing against people right now, Mary.
[00:17:04] Mary Southern: Yeah, it kind of, it makes me think about somebody who goes from relationship to relationship too, right?
Instead of just jumping into that next relationship, take some time to take a step back and get to know yourself. Figure it out.
[00:17:21] Elvi Caperonis: Exactly. And
[00:17:22] Mary Southern: it, you know, I was thinking about how you said, don’t take that rejection personally, but it’s so hard to do that. How would you recommend that somebody kind of shifts their mindset to not take that rejection so personally?
[00:17:39] Elvi Caperonis: Very good question. And, um, a lot of people struggle with that. Uh, even myself at the beginning, I was struggling with, well, while I was rejected, um, um, um, uh, First of all, think that they could have missed you. So don’t, don’t, don’t take for granted that they rejected you for the right reason. I, I, [00:18:00] I have seen people being rejected for their own reasons and being a top candidate.
So, uh, don’t take it personal. I think that, uh, they could have missed you. Um, I don’t want people to be too cocky or too confident that they, they think that they have it all. No, but first of all, they could have missed you. Second, um, you need to keep moving forward and, um, And that means that you need to think of this in a positive way.
And how, how do you make that switch? Um, well, that was a rejection. Maybe, what can I learn from that? What can I learn from that so I can make my next interview a success? And sometimes that means that, Sometimes take a step backward and go and do a mock interview with somebody who can give you feedback.
Because sometimes, um, most of the people that I help are stuck in that merit. They don’t know how to tell their story confidently. They don’t know how to express the value that they have delivered in terms of concrete scenarios. [00:19:00] And they don’t know how to articulate their value. If you don’t know how to articulate your value, because you have a value proposition.
Companies hire us because we do have a value proposition. If we cannot articulate that during the interview, we probably won’t get the job. So, um, think of this as an opportunity to improve yourself. Uh, think that they could have missed you and, and, and keep preparing yourself. So the next time you, you’d make a better impression.
And, uh, if, uh, preparing yourself in the meantime that you’re looking for a job, Keep looking into courses, keep looking into mentorship, keep thinking about what are areas that you can improve. Especially your weaknesses. If you know that you have a weakness in your career, um, try to improve on that. So when you come across an interview, sometimes they do ask, what are you, what is your weakness?
And if you’re currently working on that weakness, that’s going to make you look good that you tell, um, in the past I have done this, I realized that I needed to improve on A, B, and C, [00:20:00] and I’m currently proactively working on that. I’m taking a course, I have a mentor, and I have seen that, um, That with all that I’m learning I can contribute better to the next company that gives me an opportunity That’s the way that I embrace rejection as an opportunity to keep moving forward.
[00:20:18] Mary Southern: Yeah, I think it’s okay to Take a minute to be upset but I think that it’s so important to Take that action to write. I mean even something as simple as asking the hiring manager what you could do better. How could you improve in your next interview? Two, you know, is another way that you can be proactive and instead of, you know, taking that rejection so personally, it’s another way to kind of reframe, okay, I didn’t get the job, but what can I do next time to make myself better?
And I’ve recently spoken with a recruiter who Had a candidate that really stuck out in their mind because they [00:21:00] were so proactive and asking what can I do to improve? How can I be more competitive? How can I get better? How can I strengthen my value proposition and stand out from some of the other candidates the next time around?
And that person was not jobless for very long because they were so proactive and figuring out, you know, okay, what can I do to improve me? How can I improve my skills? How can I really work on getting better and better and better instead of just spending too much time thinking about, you know, sulking and the, the negative aspects of what it feels like to get rejected.
They’re taking that and then proactively improving because of it.
[00:21:47] Elvi Caperonis: Got it. Definitely. Definitely. Um, I recommend people to ask that question during the interview. You know, if you, if you lose that opportunity, you won’t have the opportunity again. Because if they reject you, they’re not going to give you any feedback.
But I [00:22:00] typically ask as a last question, Is there anything in my interview performance or in my resume that I could have done better, um, for this opportunity? You’re probably going to call them off guard, and they’re going to tell you at least one thing that you can improve. Maybe they’re going to do it in a gentle way, but at that moment, it’s a golden opportunity to ask, What could I have done better?
And I recommend people to ask that. They always are going to ask you, You have any questions for us? And I had three questions that I recommend people. The first one, what are the next challenge that somebody is going to face in this position? When the first 90 days, what should I be prepared for that? If I get this job, of course, you’re not going to assume that you have the job, but if I get the job, what are the challenges that I’m going to face and how can somebody in this 90 days?
That’s a very good question. You’re, you’re showing ownership. You’re showing that you are eager to join that company. The next is, um, What is the career progression of [00:23:00] somebody in this role? Or, um, what is the, how does this role have evolved? On how does this role have delivered value to the overall mission of the organization, uh, over the past of the years?
You know, you want to know how this role is to the organization’s mission. And, uh, the last one is Is there anything that I could have done better during my interview to get this opportunity? Is there anything that you recommend me to prepare, um, if I get this job or something like that? You’re definitely, asking these three questions can, can, can actually set you apart from, from the rest.
[00:23:37] Mary Southern: Yeah. What are some of the biggest hurdles that you see job seekers facing today?
[00:23:43] Elvi Caperonis: Uh, that’s a very good question. Um, the main one is that they get rejected and they don’t even, they don’t even get a rejection email. They get ghosted. Yeah, because I, I always say that getting go, getting rejected is one thing, and getting ghosted is, is a different one.
I would rather to [00:24:00] be rejected and receiving that email that says that I was rejected than being ghosted after an interview process. I believe the mayor challenge right now is that people are getting ghosted. They are just being ignored. They applied to the job and they never heard anything back. Um, I recommend a few things for, um, if you already had an interview, I recommend you to follow up within the first week to make sure you are still in the process.
Uh, within two weeks, if you haven’t heard anything, you follow up again. After three weeks move on because this means that that company is not considering you even if that company is considering you you are not the first option you may be the third the fourth the fifth option because after three weeks they probably already made a decision but that that’s something that I recommend people don’t bother recruiters too much but um, But send a follow up email at least two times to make sure [00:25:00] you are still being considered for the role.
And I highly recommend people to reinforce the value that you can add to the organization. Just to send an email saying thank you and following up. Reinforce the value that you bring to the table. If you can do that with numbers, even better. I believe that’s the main challenge right now, Mary. They are getting ghosted.
One thing is getting rejected and getting some feedback that you were rejected. And the other thing is being ghosted. Being ghosted is the worst thing that is happening right now.
[00:25:30] Mary Southern: Yeah, because you don’t even get a chance to ask why. If they don’t give you If they’re ghosting you and they don’t give you any feedback initially.
And so that kind of leads into sometimes, you know, we’ve talked about how the job search process right now is just, it’s longer than it was five years ago, ten years ago. So what are some strategies that job seekers could use to stay motivated since it’s such a long [00:26:00] process?
[00:26:01] Elvi Caperonis: Um, very good question. Um, the way to stay motivated in this, in this job market, um, is that, um, continuously, uh, practice self improvement, continuously, um, look for ways to improve yourself, uh, uh, continuously, um, network.
Some people are overlooking networking right now. Networking is probably the easiest way to find a job right now. So, um, start connecting with people. While you are waiting for a company to get back, don’t stop networking. Don’t stop. Keep connecting with people on LinkedIn. Keep interacting with their messages.
If you see a recruiter that is actually recruiting roles that are similar to the ones you’re looking for, follow that recruiter. Start commenting on their posts. Start interacting with them. Send them a message. If they don’t get back to your message, keep interacting via their posts. Sooner or later, they’re gonna notice you because you are actually interacting with their deliver value.
In those comments, deliver value. When we don’t [00:27:00] know the deliver value, people don’t feel like, uh It’s like we need to deliver value first and then ask. So to stay motivated, I recommend people to keep reading, reading books for, for self improvement, keep connecting. LinkedIn is an amazing platform to stay connected with people.
Um, take a break if you need to take a break, practice mindfulness. And for some people, maybe that may be in doing exercise, going for a run, going for a walk. We all need to take time for, for, for, um, relaxing and, and, and, um, taking a step back sometimes. So I highly recommend those steps for people who are feeling like they are lacking motivation.
I know it is hard. Um, I’ve been there too. Uh, and, uh, anyone could be in that situation right now. Nobody’s safe. You know, layoffs have demonstrated that anyone could be a job, a job seeker at any time. Companies are continuing. [00:28:00] I’m gonna I’m gonna continue to do layoffs through 2024. This is a reality that we are all facing.
So, um, so don’t get discouraged. You’re not alone. They have they have layoff. Thousands of people who are actually highly qualified and that doesn’t change your value. You need to, you need to first reinforce and believe in yourself, believe all the value that you have to add to an organization and rethink how you want to continue on your career.
Sometimes we need to take a step back. Is that the career that I actually want to keep going on, moving forward on? Um, and, um, that they take that time to actually analyze what is your next move. Sometimes we don’t take that time. Uh, I know it is, it is difficult, but we’re not going to give up on ourselves.
What is, what is the other option? I typically tell people when they’re struggling, when we don’t, we don’t know how strong we are until being strong is our only [00:29:00] choice. Right now, I believe for all of us, our only choice is to be strong. We don’t have any other because we could be a job seeker tomorrow.
Anyone could be a job seeker in this job market. And if you are, um, don’t, don’t, don’t think that that changes your value. There are top people being laid off right now, top talent people. So that doesn’t change your value, your value, the person that you are, that does not change for your employment status.
[00:29:29] Mary Southern: I think for me, Something that could really help in staying resilient during a really tough job search would be just staying in a routine. Building a routine for me, I thrive on that. And, you know, in my, when I’m working, my day to day is pretty similar. And when I have those set things that I’m doing day in and day out, I tend to be way more productive than, you know, [00:30:00] You know, when I’m on vacation, you know, when I’m on vacation and I don’t have a schedule, I tend to, you know, I’m more tired.
I’m, I’m less productive, which is the point of, you know, being on vacation. But I guess, you know, the point there is just, you know, when I’m on a schedule, I just, Tend to be happier, more fulfilled, more productive. And I can even look at it from my, you know, from a busy time at work and a less busy time at work when I’m super busy, I’m knocking so many things out of my, you know, from my to do list.
I’m, I’m being so productive. Um, so I think that one thing for me to stay resilient would just be to have some kind of a set plan and strategy and routine and my job search too.
[00:30:46] Elvi Caperonis: are very, very important. Um, being productive now is very important. I recommend people to use tools, use tools to customize your resume, use tools to apply automatically to jobs because you know you need to [00:31:00] apply.
I have heard that people, um, and I have seen that that people need to apply to over a hundred or thousand applications to land a job. And it’s taking people between, six months to a year. It depends on the, on this market. So, um, you need to have a plan. You have to have a plan to stay well, physically, mentally, and financially.
Financially is probably the aspect that people are struggling most with right now. Um, it is unfortunate, but I recommend people to look for other options until you find your job. There are other things that you can do and that doesn’t change your value either. If you need to take a part time role, if you need to, um, Um, do, um, a job that actually is not probably your desired job.
Some people are offering their services on fiber or doing, uh, freelance work. Uh, reinvent yourself in the meantime while you are still applying for [00:32:00] other opportunities to be well in the financial aspect. On the physical aspect, keep having a routine. Like Mary said, have a, um, doing exercise, um, Listening to motivational content.
You don’t want to listen to negativity in this, um, in this, in this job market. And the other thing is to have a strategy, have a strategy for improving yourself, have a strategy to tackle those, um, job interviews. I highly recommend people to practice that, uh, with a friend, whoever, if you can hire a coach even better, but if you, um, want to practice with somebody that you believe that can give you a good feedback, because sometimes it’s one or two things that we say in the interview that doesn’t help us land the job, um, I have seen people not don’t land a job just for saying things like, Oh, I don’t do that.
Uh, you need to be willing to wear many hats in this job market. So, uh, if you, let’s say, for instance, you’re a product owner and they mentioned that you sometimes you may need to wear the [00:33:00] head of the scrum master. Yes, of course you have to be, you have to have that positive mindset that you’re willing to actually do what it takes to land this job.
And you want to present your best self during the interview. So, um, I highly recommend people to have somebody that they can get some feedback from. It could be a friend, it could be, if it is a coach, even better, but if you cannot hire a coach, practice with a friend or somebody that has a different opinion than you that can give you some feedback.
[00:33:27] Mary Southern: Yeah, and I just, I was thinking about how you came to the United States and you didn’t speak any English at all, which I can’t even imagine going into an interview where I don’t speak the language, where that’s not my first language. What was the most difficult part of that situation that you can remember?
And how did you, how did you overcome it?
[00:33:56] Elvi Caperonis: Uh, the most difficult situation of that is I remember that [00:34:00] somebody, um, Make fun of my accent while I was learning English.
[00:34:05] Mary Southern: Wow. And,
[00:34:05] Elvi Caperonis: uh, it was, it was a friend of mine and, uh, it felt, it felt really, really terrible.
[00:34:11] Mary Southern: Yeah. You
[00:34:11] Elvi Caperonis: know, I didn’t, I didn’t feel bad at all.
So, uh, you know. Uh, for most of us who face that with our English as our second language, we, we don’t have, we never have a, we’ll have a perfect accent, but I learned to embrace that part of me. I’m Latina. I’m from the Dominican Republic. I will never lose that accent because that’s part of me. I was born with that accents and that’s what makes me unique.
So I learned that, um, regardless of what other people say, we need to embrace ourselves. We need to accept ourselves first. Because we are never going to please everyone. Um, but, uh, all I could do was, I felt very upset at that moment, but all I could do was take that as an opportunity to keep improving myself.
So, um, from [00:35:00] the professional aspect, uh, uh, sometimes on the first few interviews, there was things that I didn’t understand and that was, uh, that was a little bit, uh, challenging too, but, um, you know, um, I for, for certain questions I, I answer my very best with, to the best of my knowledge at the time, and I was very honest and upfront.
I, I’m answering to the best of my knowledge right now, but, um, if there is anything that I could further explain, I, I’m, I’m, I’m more than happy to follow up via email, uh, to make sure we, we are on the same page. These kind of things. I use strategies like, uh, um, I probably, uh, I knew I didn’t know everything, but, um, for the.
parts that I knew perfectly how to answer, I excel on that one. So recommend people to, I recommend people to leverage their strength. If you know that your strength is, um, uh, your strength is in a given area, try to, to reinforce that during the job [00:36:00] interview. And then probably you can guide the conversation from there.
[00:36:03] Mary Southern: I love that. What’s one key advice, piece of advice that you would give? I’m going to ask that question again. I’m going to edit that part out. What’s one piece of advice that you would give to all job seekers who are trying to build resilience in their job search right now?
[00:36:26] Elvi Caperonis: The number one, don’t take rejection personally.
for having me. It’s not about you. There are a lot of things going on in the company. There are a lot of things that recruiters may overlook and there are a lot of things that hiring managers may overlook during the interview. Don’t take rejection personally. Take it as an opportunity to improve yourself and keep moving forward.
Um, apply strategically. But don’t take rejection personally. Everybody’s facing rejection right now. Top candidates from top companies, from Google, Amazon, uh, Microsoft, Facebook, [00:37:00] from across all organizations. There are top talents right now competing for one single job. So rejection is not personal right now.
And like I mentioned before, they can, they, they probably have missed you. Um, keep preparing yourself. Don’t take rejection personally. They are not something that you want to take personally. It’s not about you. It’s about the job market right now. And you’ve been unemployed, you’ve been, you’ve been employed before.
So most of your seekers that we’re speaking to have been employed before. So that should give you enough confidence to know that you can deliver value to other companies.
[00:37:32] Mary Southern: What about one message of hope?
[00:37:34] Elvi Caperonis: Um, very good one. Um, I always can see the light at the end of the tunnel. So I see that this job market is going to flip at some point in 2022.
We had, we had a job seekers market. Everybody was asking for more money and they were getting it. Uh, so I believe probably within one or two years, we’re going to turn back to be on, on, uh, job seeker markets because companies are laying off top [00:38:00] talents and I believe they’re going to need them back. So, um, the things that are going to shift.
In the right direction at some point. Um, it’s probably not going to be tomorrow, but things are going to get better with time and everything is temporary. So this situation that you’re facing right now, unemployment is temporary. A job is temporary. A title is temporary. So this too shall pass. I recommend you to keep that, um, in, in, uh, in keep moving forward.
[00:38:31] Mary Southern: So what are you up to now, Elvie? And where can we find you on social media?
[00:38:36] Elvi Caperonis: Thank you. Uh, people can find me on LinkedIn. I love when people, uh, connect with me and, uh, support my content and, um, I’m looking for always ways to, uh, keep delivering value to my community. So if you connect, uh, on my, uh, page, uh, I’ll, I’ll, I’ll continue delivering value to job seekers and continue delivering value to my community.
So please connect with me on LinkedIn. [00:39:00] I’ll be more than happy to see your comments there.
[00:39:03] Mary Southern: Awesome. Thank you so much for coming on today.
[00:39:06] Elvi Caperonis: Thank you so much for having me, Mary. It’s been a pleasure discussing these topics to you. I, um, it was a pleasure being here. Thank you.
[00:39:16] Mary Southern: Thanks for listening. I will be releasing episodes every Monday, so be sure to subscribe on the platform that you are watching this.
Give it a five star review and we’ll see you next time.