I applied to over 600 jobs before pulling off my career switch. Here's how I did it.
In my old job as a pharmacist, I was robbed at gunpoint. After that, I committed to moving into the biotech or pharmaceutical industry, which is where I'd always wanted to go anyway.
I graduated with my PharmD during COVID, so there really weren't too many possibilities. When the robbery occurred, I had some years of working in the pharmacy under my belt, so I thought, let me go ahead and make the switch.
At the end of September 2023, I quit my job. For the first few weeks, I relaxed and saw some friends. After that, I started my deep dive into the application process. I wanted to keep a job application tracker so that at the end, I could see how the overall journey was.
My goal was to also use the tracker to see where I was slipping up, where my faults were, and how I could improve. I asked mentors and friends to look at my résumé and review my LinkedIn because I was doing a professional reset.
I tried to network. I even reached out to my girlfriend's dad's cousin's husband, who worked at a company I was interested in. I did an informational interview with him, and he offered to reach out to people at his company.
Around the time I'd done about 100 applications, I was like, "Oh, this is actually a lot more difficult than I thought it would be."
It took 536 days and 688 applications, but I'm glad to say I finally made it and got a job.
Completely blindsided
It wasn't always easy. I had 236 rejections and didn't get a response or got ghosted on 449 of the applications. I had 15 screening calls with HR and 18 referrals for various jobs. I think one or two of those referrals got me to a screening.
For application 594, I got an offer. It was for a company here in Southern California to be a quality-assurance technician. At the end of the first interview, they said they wanted to hire me. I had to do some paperwork and a drug test. I got a call back saying the drug test was good, and I had to give them my Social Security card. I suggested starting a week and a half later. A representative from the company said they would talk to the hiring manager and that I should hear back in a few days.
I waited, but I didn't hear anything. I called and then called again a few days later, and I was told they had given the position to another person. I was completely blindsided.
I'd already told my family I got the job, and I wanted to get clarity about what had happened. The thing the company told me was that they wanted someone to start earlier. I thought, "Why didn't they just tell me, 'Can you start on X day instead?'"
After that happened, I took a little bit of a breather because I'd been in this cycle for such a long period. So, I took about two weeks off from applying. After that, I knew I still needed to find a job. Lingering in the back of my mind was the idea, "OK, this has to happen. I know that this is a setback, but I can't take more breaks."
The thing that helped me keep going through all of this was a mixture of friends, family, and my girlfriend — the support group that I had. Also, I knew I had student loans to pay, things I want to do, and ideally, I want to retire by the time I'm in my early 40s. My girlfriend, Chelsea, and I have had this conversation, and she's on her way to retiring shortly before she's 40. So, essentially, we'll be DINKs. I'll be turning 30 in July.
A few breakdowns
I did have moments of doubt. I talked to Chelsea about it repeatedly. I said, "Hey, it's already been X amount of time, Y amount of applications." At that point, I was 400, 500, 600 in, and there was still no end in sight. At what point do I go back to being a pharmacist?
I have had a few breakdowns to get through this entire thing. When I started my search, I didn't know if it was going to take two months or something longer. That uncertainty and those setbacks really took a mental toll.
When I got the offer for the job I ultimately took, I got a call on a Friday from the hiring manager and I immediately said yes.
I felt a mixture of relief and satisfaction knowing that I got to this point and that it was in the industry that I wanted to go into. To get out of pharmacy, it was worth it to go through this. But if I wanted to pivot into something else, I don't know if I have that in me.
Do you have a story to share about your job hunt? Contact this reporter at tparadis@businessinsider.com.
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