You don't apply for a job alone

Writer: Huug Roosjen
In December 2009, I started working in a bookstore near me. I was 11 years old. Even though it was only for two hours and no real ‘work’ so to speak, I did have to have a job interview. Beforehand, I thought about what I wanted to say. How will I put myself down? It became clear to me that I was stuck in something. This was because I didn't talk to anyone about it. When I started preparing the interview with others, all kinds of ideas came up.

We are now 11 years on: I did the bookstore work for seven years. Meanwhile, I have been working at Hotel Jakarta since September 2018. There is a world of difference between how I approached these two job applications. In the first one, I only engaged people to help me at the very last minute, while in the second one, I engaged people right away. They were very supportive. In my last application too, I got people involved right away, especially to read along for my cover letter. They gave me extremely valuable advice. My motivation letter improved a lot as a result.

A number of people I know applied. They asked for little or no help. They are probably not unique in this. Do people not dare? Are they too insecure to ask for help? I think it is because of the way we as a society approach a job application. There is always something about never quite knowing what your chances are. It could just be that the person whose help you ask for is also going for that job. Even then, it is not bad to ask people for help; it encourages you to put yourself forward as well as possible. I think we need to get rid of the paranoid thoughts that underlie doing this alone: “suppose if...”, “what if this and that...”. It is necessary for us as a society to trust each other again, to come closer together again. Now this is difficult because of the times we find ourselves in, but especially then, not even just for job applications, it is good to keep talking to each other. We will not agree with each other every time, nor do we have to, but that is also the beauty of a conversation.

Moral of the story? Besides applying for jobs, there are a lot of things we can do together. Whether that is saving the world, or checking in with people from time to time to see how things are going: you are not alone! Together, we can overcome anything. Or as Willeke Alberti sings, “to be together is to laugh together, to cry together, to live by being close to each other.” Make use of each other, don't be afraid, I have good experiences with it.