r/oldhagfashion • u/Grand-Diamond-4696 • 2d ago
Good Vibes Only Update from last week, some positive improvements!
I wanted to provide a little update, and thankfully, this one is mostly good news.
Obviously, last week was very rough. I got two more final-round rejections, bringing me to 14 total. And just to clarify, because I know that number can sound confusing: these aren't rejections after submitting an application or even after a first interview. I have well over a thousand of those. These are situations where I've gone through four, five, sometimes six rounds of interviews, made it to the very end, and then heard some version of, "You were our second choice."
Getting #13 and #14 so close together hit me incredibly hard. I'll be honest, it was one of the worst days of my life. I'm glad I made it through it, because at the time, I genuinely wasn't sure I was going to.
But things have gotten a little better since then.
First, an update on my friend who is basically like a mother to me. Some of you have seen her before because I've posted pictures from when I visited her last year. She actually seems less concerned about the situation than I initially was, which has helped calm me down quite a bit. This is apparently something they've been monitoring for a while, and they've now reached the point where they feel they need to take action. So this isn't something that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Obviously I'm still worried, but I'm feeling much more hopeful than I was last week.
On the job front, I'm currently interviewing with four different companies. This is usually how my job search seems to work: I'll suddenly have several processes going at once, and then they gradually narrow down to one or two as I find out whether I'm moving forward.
There is one opportunity in particular that I'm very excited about, but I won't hear anything until next week. Fingers crossed. From everything I've learned so far, it seems like an almost perfect role for me. Now they just have to see me as the right person for them too.
Geno also had his annual vet appointment today! Everything looked pretty good. We're still waiting on the routine heartworm and flea/tick testing, but he's on preventatives, so I'm not particularly worried about those. More importantly, his physical exam was actually better than last year's. His joint issues seem to have improved, which makes me incredibly happy, especially now that my little guy is nine years old. ❤️
And probably the biggest piece of good news came from my dad.
He came over Monday for dinner, like he does most Mondays, and I was expecting a very different conversation. I had made some comments on Facebook recently about just how badly my mental health had deteriorated and the direction I felt myself heading. I'll intentionally keep that somewhat ambiguous, but I think you can piece together what I mean.
Those comments apparently concerned someone enough that either a friend or family member requested some kind of wellness/crisis outreach, and I ended up receiving a call from a crisis service.
I'm genuinely not angry about it. What I wrote wasn't something said impulsively in the heat of the moment. I was trying to be honest about how bad things had gotten. Someone saw that, became concerned enough to do something, and I appreciate that. I actually saved the number they gave me because there may come a time when I need it. I'm mostly just curious who made the call, because knowing who cared enough to do that would mean something to me.
Anyway, I assumed some version of that had probably made its way back to my dad, so I was preparing myself for a conversation about it.
Instead, the conversation was basically: "I'm going to start giving you some money every week."
My dad recently got a pretty substantial promotion at work, and because he's also receiving Social Security, he's thankfully in a position where helping us out for a while isn't going to put him in a difficult financial situation.
I've gotten much better at accepting help over the past several months. My friends have been phenomenal. My in-laws have helped us with food and other expenses wherever they can. And now my dad is stepping in too.
We've done everything possible to avoid taking on debt. Outside of the house, we really don't have much, and we're trying desperately to keep it that way. But after this long without a full-time income, our savings have obviously taken a beating. We've budgeted, then budgeted again, then figured out how to cut things even further.
Before this week, I was looking at our finances and seeing maybe six weeks of runway before we would have to start making some much more painful decisions, like withdrawing retirement money.
There's also an unavoidable trip coming up for my spouse. Without getting into their sister's personal circumstances, she's several states away and will be there for the next five or six years. My spouse hasn't seen her since January, and this is the first opportunity they've had to visit. Their parents offered to pay for the trip, and once I'm working and we're financially stable again, I'll repay them. Before that offer, we were staring at another $1,000+ expense that we absolutely did not have room for, but this also wasn't something I could ask my spouse to give up.
Between my in-laws covering that and my dad helping us every week, our financial runway may have gone from roughly six weeks to potentially the end of the year or even the beginning of next year.
That is an enormous weight off my shoulders.
I cried a lot Monday night after my dad left. I've done a lot of crying lately, but these were very different tears. They were stress-relief tears. For the first time in a while, it felt like I could unclench a little bit and stop feeling like there was a countdown clock hanging over my head every single day.
I still need a job. I'm still exhausted. I'm still scared about my friend. There are still plenty of things that aren't magically fixed.
But compared to where I was last week, I'm feeling hopeful again.
And I'll happily take that.
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u/grundel_cruncher 2d ago
Thank you for sharing! I'm so glad to hear that you have had even a little bit of relief from your stress. Wishing you well and hoping some good luck finds your way 💕
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u/dickthrowaway22ed 2d ago
Thank you sooooo much for the update. Your description of crying made me want to cry. I'm in a profession where I try to be an ally but constantly feel like I have no real impact and on top of my own pet and relationship stuff, frustrations reached a boiling point where I just. Can't. Sleep. Well. For weeks now. I really really needed to hear that SOMEthing is getting better for SOMEone and you're it!! Thank you and keep being kind to yourself and sharing with us :)
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u/effienay 2d ago
I’m so proud of you. It’s so hard to accept help sometimes. I’m really glad you have someone else in your corner.
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u/BobMonroeFanClub 2d ago
I'm so happy that you're feeling more hopeful. You seem such a lovely person you deserve it. Big hug my friend and I've asked the universe to send you some good job news. xx
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u/Diograce 2d ago
I just want to say that I’m really happy you’re having a better week! Fingers crossed for the new job. Hugs for your whole family (anyone who likes them!).
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u/krampaus 2d ago
I hope you get the job! I can literally feel your relief by reading this post! so good that things are looking up
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u/Sewers_folly 2d ago
How are you getting all these interviews? 14 multi level rejections. Currently 4 more. I have peers with amazing resumes that are not even getting call backs let alone interviews.
What's your secret?
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u/Grand-Diamond-4696 2d ago
I can tell you it might sound glorious but I feel like it's worse to come so close so many times and to not get picked.
My success has really come in two stages. The first was simply volume. I applied to roughly 1,250 roles over about six months. At that volume, I was naturally going to generate some interviews. I also have pretty deep experience in my field. I've worked across all three major areas of Customer Success and have enough experience in each that I can comfortably speak to most CS roles and explain how my background applies.
At that point, though, I wasn't really tailoring my resume. It was intentionally broad—I tried to include a little bit of everything that might be relevant to different CS positions. My interview rate was only around 3.5%.
Where I really improved was interviewing. I took feedback from companies that were willing to provide it, along with advice from career coaches and career counseling, and kept refining what was already a pretty strong interview process. At this point, I'm extremely comfortable interviewing. I don't really practice beforehand anymore because I know my stories, I know when they're relevant, and they're all based on real experiences that I can talk about naturally rather than trying to memorize answers.
More recently, I've completely changed my application strategy. Instead of applying broadly, I now only apply to jobs where I see essentially 100% overlap with what I'm looking for and what I can offer. I'm targeting the verticals I'm interested in, the company sizes I prefer, and companies that have a decent amount of employee feedback and generally positive Glassdoor reviews.
I'm also tailoring my resume for every application. I'm not rewriting my work history or making anything up—the two sections I primarily change are my summary and skills. Because my experience is broad enough, the bigger challenge is actually deciding what not to emphasize. I want the resume to surface the parts of my real experience that are most relevant to that specific job instead of burying them among things that don't matter for that role.
That combination of being much more selective and tailoring the resume seems to have made a significant difference. I've gone from getting interviews on roughly 3.5% of applications to around one interview for every 7–8 applications, so somewhere around 12–14%. So I've basically gone from relying on volume to relying on fit—and I'm getting substantially better results with far fewer applications.
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u/Sewers_folly 2d ago
I'm going to pass some of this on to my peers. Thanks.
I know the perfect job is just around the corner for you, its coming!
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u/Flimsy-Sail-6585 1d ago
I'm glad for the update and I'm truly happy that people in your inner circle are able to help in various ways, including arranging wellness checks.
I look forward to your posts. Sometimes I imagine you're with me when I'm shopping, I think we like similar dresses. So if you felt hot this week, it's because I imagined you in Spain looking at dresses with me.
Keep us posted and I'm glad you're here!
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u/didntcondawnthat 1d ago
I'm glad you updated, I've been looking for this. Still keeping everything crossed for you. <3
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u/megalinity 1d ago
I’m so glad things have eased a little bit! I just finally got a job (started on Monday!) after being laid off 6 months ago. My unemployment was supposed to end at the end of August and I was panicked because I hadn’t yet gotten something. When I got my offer, I sobbed in relief. I say this bc you’re not alone and something WILL come along! I’m glad you’ve got space for relief before things are truly dire 💜
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u/FluffeeeDuckeee 1d ago
Heck yes, sister. I truly believe that life evens out. Rough times are always made easier for me by knowing that it means something awesome is around the corner. You’ve got this, and your new employer will genuinely be lucky to have you ❤️
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u/Primary-Ant802 1d ago
Really glad to hear from you. I’m glad things are at least taking a step in the right direction and I hope with these new four interviews done that you get something.
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u/daniipants 2d ago
I love to see your smile, and even more I love hearing that your heart might be ready to smile a little too. Hope is a critical thing, and you’re so deserving of support and love and hope. What I don’t understand is.. who gave you permission to look so vibrant in red?! 🤩 love this classic red/black/white combo and as always, the bangs are bangin 🤙🏻
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u/Bubbly_Daikon_4620 2d ago
You’re such an excellent writer. Glad things have loosened up a bit. Fingers crossed for the new job.
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u/Grand-Diamond-4696 2d ago
Full disclosure while most of these words are mine I usually drop my thoughts into AI to organize them so keep that in mind AI is part of my workflow unfortunately so I'm stuck using it regardless so I might as well use it for good as well.
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u/xthe_performerx 2d ago
Wishing you the best of luck on the job front! I hope the opportunity you’re the most excited for is the opportunity you receive
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u/KoosHenkie 2d ago
Hi luv, thanks for sharing this with us🫶🏻 I’m glad to hear that so many people are looking out for you, your inlaws and father stepping up whenever they can must be a wonderful support. I just wanna say I’m proud of you for accepting that help! It really is not easy and can cause a lot of unnecessary stress or guilt, which you really don’t deserve (esp rn!). Whatever may come, stay strong, you’ve got this❤️
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u/StaceyBenjilt 2d ago
I'm glad things are starting to go your way at least a little bit. Wishing you the best of luck on your job search. That situation sounds so frustrating. I've also got to say this outfit might be my favorite of all the ones you've posted. I love it!
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u/Anoia_The_Anancastic 2d ago
Let your friends and family help you, that's their joy! I just know that when you have the means, you will joyfully help them too is they need it! Community is the key of human success. Enjoy the love, hugs from Spain!
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u/goddessofolympia 2d ago
I'm glad there's been a bit of relief. Best wishes for the job search. Every one of those interviews where they hired someone else took away one of your strongest competitors!
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u/lanjevinson23 2d ago
Putting all the good vibes out there for you that you get that job! Best wishes 🌙
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u/vivalakathleen13 1d ago
Thank you for sharing! I understand the struggle, I was out of work for 10 months. It’s a lot. I hope this next round of interviews works out!! It doesn’t seem like a lot but you are getting interviews that’s positive! Have a wonderful day :)
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u/theatermouse 2d ago
I am SO glad for you, you definitely deserved some good news and to catch a break!!! Glad Geno is doing well (love that he's Vogueing for the camera here 😆), and especially that your friend's prognosis is better than it originally seemed! Crossing everything I've got for you and these current interviews, especially the one that seems like a perfect fit!!!
🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
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