94 resumes and 9 interviews

Moving to a new place is not easy. I moved to Ottawa from Calgary and finding a job was my most challenging milestone; this is my story.

Searching and applying for jobs

I started applying for jobs in February, and I constantly checked and applied for job opportunities. Before moving to the city at the end of April, I only got 2 calls. They both rejected me. One rejected me because I was not in the city at that time, the other one rejected me without any reason. But, I assume it was because I was still a student or something.

I moved to Ottawa in April. I felt blessed that my job in Calgary allowed me to work remotely for 20 hours in a week. But, I didn’t want to rely on that only, so I kept applying for jobs.

I changed my number to Ottawa’s. It helped a lot. I submitted 70 applications with my Calgary’s number. There were only about 5 responded, and 2 invited me for a call interview.

Dealing with interviews

In early May, I got my first interview in the city. I really wanted to work for them. It was a student position at an Art Centre. I was so passionate in the interview, telling them I really wanted to work with them.

I didn’t get the job.

There was a time that I almost gave up. These rejections were hurtful and made me think that design was not for me. Also, moving to a new place drained my pocket. I needed money. As a result, I started applying at H&M, Subways, and Metro (a grocery store in Ottawa).

I was lucky to have people who support me. The best motivation I got was from one of my girlfriends who told me that I deserved more than a job as a Tim Horton’s cashier (although I did apply there, they didn’t even call me back).

In mid-May, I got another job interview. The interview asked me basic questions like what designing programs I use, what designing projects I like to do, what my strengths and weaknesses, etc. It went smoothly and I got the job.

I liked the job, the people, and the office, but it took me 2 hours to commute there. I left my place at 6 am and got home at 7 pm. Sometimes 8 pm if I missed a bus. I hated it.

Finding THE job

I kept applying for jobs and got another job offer. It was another student position. They said the job was exciting, and I would have to work overtime, sometimes until 1 am, but no overtime pay.

I rejected that offer.

Two weeks into the job with the rough commute, I got a call for another interview for a position that was relatively close and for a great organization that I applied back in February. I booked a day off for this. I googled any tricky interview questions and wrote down how to answer them. I was prepared for this.

I went to the interview place and met the interviewers. The first thing they said was, “we don’t have any questions for you, so let’s just chat.” They didn’t ask any tricky questions I had written down last night. Luckily, I was prepared and brought my portfolio, so we just talked about the projects I did on my portfolio.

After an hour chat, they offered me the job – in the interview. I had never offered a job in an interview before. It was such a great feeling.

The next day, I explained the situation to the company I was still working at. They understood. I finished my last project there and quit.

I am now working at a place where they respect and accept me who I am. They like my work and they trust me. I keep getting new projects, and they are not just random projects that keep the students “busy,” they’re meaningful and challenging projects, which is something that I’ve been craving.

Be grateful and believe in myself

Getting the right job is not easy, so don’t give up. Believe in yourself. I drew monkeys and bananas on my resume, which I was warned that I was “taking a big risk” by doing so; in the end, it turned out the monkeys and bananas would be the aspect of my portfolio that people at my current job found most intriguing about me, and which ultimately led to an interview and on-the-spot hiring. I believe that people hired me not just because of my skills or talents, but also my personality. At the end, I was able to choose from 4 job offers after 94 resume applications and 9 interviews. Looking back, the whole experience was well worth it.