You know when they say, "it can't get worse," it's time to brace yourself because it can. The whole job hunt hasn't been good for me. I knew it would be rough because I lack experience in HRIS programs, but I wasn't expecting it to be this bad. Monday was by far the worst. The previous week I had interviewed, knowing I might not be the top candidate, and I addressed that with the recruiter. She said that my lack of experience with their HRIS system wasn't a deal-breaker, and I would know by Friday if I would be in the second round. I thanked her for the interview, sent her a thank you email with saying "I enjoy speaking with you and know I can help your company," as well as my LinkedIn request saying the same. Friday came and went but nothing. I sent a quick email to the recruiter Monday morning, and later that day, I got a generic thank you but no email from the talent team. Nothing from the recruiter. Seriously. Nothing. She didn't even respond with a quick note. So, I'm done. I'm taking this week and maybe next week off. I'm going to spend time doing what I love, center myself, and figure out the next step. Looking for work these past three months has left me emotionally exhausted and frustrated. I'm snapping at everyone and everything. This is not who I am. I might not be a happy person, but I'm not mean. And I've gotten mean. I don't know what recruiters or hiring managers want anymore. The job descriptions read like a First Grade Reader or a Russian novel. I don't think the candidate they are looking for exists, and if they do, they're smart enough to get what they want from their current company. I've tweaked my resume (repeatedly), tried to connect to likeminded people on LinkedIn, applied for jobs where I'm qualified for. I feel like I'm slowly losing my mind. I'm stepping back. Way back. Maybe I'm not coming back. Perhaps I'll find what I need to succeed has been in front of me this whole time.