When it comes to applying, how much is too much?
You have heard that the path is bumpy. Getting the job is all about getting to know yourself, your strengths and areas for improvement, defining a path you want to follow, and… thoughtfully: APPLY, APPLY and APPLY!
That's all fine and nice, but sometimes... we are all just sick and tired of applying for different positions. It seems as if your dream job is never going to happen.
So, I want you to meet Bahaa, a Software Developer from Egypt with 5 years of professional experience and well-rounded experience in E-Commerce and Fintech. Before getting his dream job, he applied to more than 300 positions before starting his journey with Imagine and finally landing his dream job in the UK. We are so proud of him for his perseverance, impressive positive attitude, and story!
Bahaa, how did you connect to Imagine?
I followed → Imagine on LinkedIn for some years and I was so inspired by what I'd seen others achieve. Imagine has really put so many already on the right path to land their first job around Europe.
It became clear to me that connecting to their rich list of mentors would complete the missing parts in my job search journey. Eventually, it turned out to be a quite good decision!
What kind of challenges were you facing before joining Imagine?
By the time I connected with Imagine I had already sent 300+ applications and went through 40+ different interview stages but a couple of issues were still unresolved for me.
a. The feedback. I could hardly get any feedback from any HR or Tech interviewers. That's why I needed help from experts behind the scenes for guidance.
b. The application to interview conversion rate. Usually, a rate of 10% would be fair, but I scored less.
What were the biggest challenges during the process?
I believe the most difficult part of my job application process was the culture interview. As each company has its own culture & set of values, sometimes in less famous companies it'd be hard to do the research and know exactly what they're looking for.
Sometimes, you know the values that the company is looking for but you don't know how to present your answer in the perfect way in the interview. So as a technical person, I needed to improve my presentation skills to fit into this interview stage.
How did you get your dream job in the UK?
It was a straightforward job application process on LinkedIn. I found that British Telecom (BT) had listed some new vacancies that fit my skill set. I started my research about the company and software development department. I read about different aspects of the company (e.g.: Standards, Vision, Future goals, …etc.). I ended up concluding that I'd be happy to apply for one of the posted vacancies. I applied on the company's career portal by filling out different forms. A couple of weeks ahead, I received a phone call to discuss an interview screening date. We went through different interview stages and finally, we were both happy with the terms & conditions and an offer was given.
What have you learned from the experience with Imagine?
Well, I think I've started with Imagine in a difficult time during my job search journey. I was somehow desperate to know insights into my performance in the interviews. Also, I was looking to increase my application in order to increase the interview's conversion rate. I learned that sometimes we don't have a correct answer for everything, but we can really make the best use of believing in our abilities and skill sets and the most important is learning how to present it to others so we make sure to leave the best impression about our background and who we really are.
Imagine helped to change my perspective on the interview process and how to prepare for it. This was a game changer to my job search skill set.
What tips could you give to those who are in the process right now?
Well, I can conclude my whole journey in 3 words. Consistency, Perseverance, and Feedback. We need to be always consistent in trying and applying no matter how many rejections we receive. As one of the tech experts once said "Applying for a full-time job is a full-time job", that's why I believe that we need to have a scheduled plan and we need to be consistent with it. During my job search, I used LinkedIn and Indeed. I also registered on German job sites like Stepstone and Monster.de. I used the website newsletter to be up to date with hot opportunities. I applied for 5-10 jobs a week. For each job post, I customized my own CV and cover letter (even if it's optional) to fit the job description. Sometimes I would connect with the job post author for more info during my research around the company and the posted role for more information. If I scored an interview I would make further research around the interview process for this company on Glassdoor and practice the common questions previously asked to be able to answer them in a way that highlights my abilities and skill set.
Moreover, knowing that rejections are not personal, doesn't mean that you're not good enough or you're not a professional. It just means that you have a different skill set that doesn't match a certain opportunity. We still have countless opportunities out there. Opportunities that need perseverance to haunt them. Finally, feedback is the heart of any self-development process.
"If perseverance & consistency would take you a foot, feedback would take you a mile. The thing which Imagine will definitely help a lot with it."
Inspiring, right? So take advantage of this energy to go to our app and look for positions you could apply to our enroll to some of the websites Bahaa mentioned. The important thing is to keep trying. As always, we are rooting for you. Keep us posted.
— Your friends at Imagine
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